“When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk.”
There is a special poignancy to this year’s winner of the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott is awarded each year by the Association for Library Service to Children to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. 2004’s winner is The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. It tells the story of a Frenchman who, in 1974, strung a wire between New York City’s Twin Towers and danced across. Philippe Petit spent six years preparing for his illegal performance. His research included posing as a journalist to find out all he could about the towers. He and his accomplices spent all night installing his performance stage and he took to the wire on the morning of August 7, 1974. Fighting against criticism and potential financial ruin, the Port Authority welcomed the unexpected stunt which succeeded in endearing the bleak looking towers to the public. Petit was awarded a lifetime pass to the south tower’s observation deck and he published his own telling of the event called To Reach the Clouds.