The Man Who Walked Between the Towers – Mordicai Gerstein 2003 | SIGNED

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

This award-winning 2003 picture book recounts the true story of Philippe Petit’s daring 1974 high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers. Through lyrical prose and sweeping illustrations that capture both the vertiginous height and exhilarating freedom of Petit’s feat, Gerstein transforms an incredible real-life event into a poetic tribute to human audacity and the lost landmarks of New York.

The narrative builds suspense as Petit and friends secretly rig the cable at night, culminating in the breathtaking morning walk 1,350 feet above ground – a 45-minute dance captured in Gerstein’s ink-and-oil paintings that alternate between intimate close-ups and dizzying aerial perspectives. A poignant fold-out spread emphasizes the towers’ vanished presence, gently connecting the wonder of Petit’s achievement to their tragic 2001 fate without explicit mention of 9/11.

Winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal, this masterpiece balances childlike wonder with profound themes of beauty, transience, and pushing boundaries. Gerstein’s work serves as both an introduction to an extraordinary historical moment and a timeless meditation on what it means to dream impossibly big. The closing dedication – “Now the towers are gone” – lends the adventure a bittersweet gravity that resonates across generations.