"The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" by Mordicai Gerstein (Caldecott Award Winner)

     The setting of this story is 1974 New York.  The World Trade Center towers are being built.  This is the true story of Phillipe, a young street performer,  who watches the towers being built and devises a plan to stretch a tight rope and walk between the two towers.  He and his friends dress as construction workers one evening and take a 440 pound reel of cable to the unfinished top ten floors.  It takes until dawn, but they finally finish stretching the cable between the two towers.  Phillipe puts on his black performance clothes and shoes and immediately walks across the tightrope.  Police soon come but he avoids them and takes his time, enjoying himself.  Because his stunt was so incredible, the judge does not give Phillipe jail time, but orders him to perform in the park for the children. 
     There are so many things I liked about this book.  For one, I liked learning something new.  I had never known that there was a man named Phillipe who had walked between the two towers.  It seems like an impossible task.  It is also meaningful to me because like Phillipe, the towers are only a memory now.  Another thing I liked about this book are the lyrical words and exceptional detail included in the story.  The author tells the height of the building (1,340 feet), the weight of the cable (440 pounds), and how many stairs they had to carry the cable up (180 stairs).  I think this helps the reader envision precisely what is happening in the story.  The illustrations done in ink and oil paintings help readers feel like they are seeing the events unfold before them.
     The September 11 fall of the Twin Towers influenced my reaction to this book.  The author takes the reader back to 1974 when the towers are being built and a young man plans a remarkable task that puts himself down in history.  I was two years old when the towers were being built.  When I was 29 years old I watched as another more destructive plan played out.  I felt so many emotions that day:  fear, sympathy, confusion, and anger.  Reading this book made me feel good about being able to see the towers through Phillipe's eyes.  I wonder if Phillipe could ever imagine the towers he walked between would one day be destroyed on a clear, beautiful September day.
     The new thing I learned about children's literature while reading this book is that an author can take a small, forgotten story like Phillipe's and weave it into the story of a major historical event.  This book will not only remember Phillipe, but it will spark discussions about when the towers were built and why.  It will spark conversation about the fall of the towers.  It could bring up conversations about Phillipe breaking the law and all the possible consequences. 
     Mordicai Gerstein has written a wide variety of children's books.  Some of his works, such as Jonah and the Two Great Fish and Noah and the Great Flood have a theme of spirituality.  He has written some very playful books such as:  The Absoluteley Awful Alphabet, Bedtime Everybody, Behind the Couch, and Stop Those Pants.  These are just a few of his publications. 
     The Man Who Walked Between the Towers is one of my favorite children's books that I have read so far.  I find it inspiring to be able to devise such an outrageous plan and follow through with it despite what could have been disastrous results.  This is definately a book I will always remember. 

"Zen Shorts" by Jon J. Muth (Caldecott Award Winner)

     Zen Shorts is the story of three children named Addy, Michael, and Karl who one day find a large panda bear named Stillwater sitting in their backyard holding an umbrella.  Each day thereafter, each child spends a day with Stillwater and each child is told a story to "meditate" over.  The title Zen Shorts refers to the three short zen stories that make the reader reflect upon.  Addy's story deals with the concept of giving.  Michael's story questions what we should consider good and bad luck, and shows that we never know what the future holds.  Karl's story teaches the reader that we should not carry anger with us, but let it go. 
     The thing I liked most about this story is that it teaches children a concept that they may not of heard of before--Zen, which literally means mediation.  Each short Zen story makes the reader consider looking at things from a different perspective.  The author notes that these three stories come from Buddhist literature and are centuries old.  The author has adapted these "shorts" so that young readers can relate and understand them.
     My reaction to this book stems from a respect I have for philosophy.  I'm not a scholar on the subject, but I appreciate methods that make a person reflect and ponder over different concepts.  Learning from reflection is something that helps a person grow.  I also liked the illustrations in this book.  While the story focuses on the children, the illustrations are bright and playful.  The illustrations for the short stories are more like drawings without the use of much color.  It made a clear distinction for young readers between the main story and the Zen short stories. 
     Zen Shorts is much like other works of Jon J. Muth.  Some of his other titles include The Three Questions, Zen Ties, Zen Ghosts, and Stone Soup.  Muth takes stories of old and invents new adaptations that children can understand.  These stories usually teach some sort of moral. 
     The new thing I learned abou children's literature through reading this story is that an author can take a complex, philosophical concept and make it into an enjoyable learning experience for young readers.