This is about the French aerialist Philippe Petit who, in 1974, put a tightrope
between the two towers of the World Trade Centers. It chronicles his
difficulties, oppositions, and success with this dangerous, but awe inspiring
act.
Genre
Biography
"Biography tells about a real person's life. The subjects of biography are usually people who are famous [...], but there are also many biographies [...] that are about 'ordinary' people who do extra ordinary things" (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p. 18)
Illustrations
This book is
illustrated with bold paintings that
fill up most of the page. The pictures are very realistic and accurately depict
both the setting and the character.
Classroom Activity
Reader's Response Question
Why would they be afraid to have someone walk between the top of the towers?
From what country is Philippe from?
Why didn't the police walk out there to get Philippe?
Instruct students to determine the Author’s Message in the story and apply the meaning to their own life. Students create new ideas and construct new ways of thinking.
Personal Response
Mordicai Gerstein is the Caldecott medal winner 2004, 2004
Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books,
2006
Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video.
Similar Work
McCully, Emily Arnold. Mirette on the HighWire
Wells, Rosemary. Wingwalker
Petit, Philippe. To Reach the Clouds.
Reference
Galda, L., Cullinan, B.E., &
Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmond, CA:Wadsworths,
Inc.
Gerstein, M. (2003). The man who walked between the
towers. New
Milford, CT: Roaring Book Press, a
division of Holtzbrinck Publishing
Holdings Limited Partnership
This is a definitive version of the diary
entries kept by a young Anne Frank. These entries describe what is was like to
be a Jew in hiding during the Holocaust.
This autobiographical piece was actually found in an attic where Anne frank
lived the last years of her life. It is one of the most read autobiographies of
all time.
Genre
Biography
"Biography
tells about a real person's life. The subjects of biography are usually
people who are famous [...], but there are also many biographies [...]
that are about 'ordinary' people who do extra ordinary things" (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p. 18).
Illustrations
This
book contains
some illustrations. They are mostly
photographs and help to add to the setting and historical context of the book.
Classroom Activity
Reader's Response Questions
What
role does the diary play in Anne’s life?
How
does Anne feel about the laws that restrict the Jews’ freedom?
Does Anne consider her family lucky or
unfortunate to be living in the annex?
Activity 1
Instruct
students to choose one of the below questions and to write an essay.
Why
do you think Hanneli appears in Anne’s dreams?
Is
Anne in love with Peter? Why does she feel she can confide in him?
How
is Anne affected by the various break-ins? How is her response connected to her
general mood while in hiding?
Do
you feel that Anne believes she is going to survive the war? Why or why not?
How
does Anne mature and develop through the course of her diary?
Activity 2
Write a poem from Anne Frank’s
point of view. You can choose the topic of your poem, but be sure to make some
sort of textual reference (refer to people, places, the time period...something
that shows me you have reading and comprehending) and try to mimic Anne’s own
thoughts that you read in her diary
Personal Response
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank is an authentic piece of literature that should be integrated in every secondary classroom. It describes contemporary issues that every adolescence experiences. The reader is drawn into the author's state of mind and is able to feel the constant fear of being discovered which in the end sadly happens. Anne Frank's last entry was on August 4, 1944 before she and her family was deported to Ausschwitz. Her last words are really captivating and touching to me:
"[b]ecause when everybody starts hovering over me, I get cross, then sad, and finally end up turning my heart inside out, the bad part on the outside and the good part on the inside, and keep trying to find a way to become what I'd like to be and what I could be if… if only there were no other people in the world."
Anne Frank was never given the opportunity never to become what she would like to be, because she was robbed of her young and innocent life.
Similar Works
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
Maus I: A Survivors Tale by Art Spiegelman
Night by Elie Wiesel
Author's Background Information
References
Frank, A. (1995). The diary of a young girl:
Definitive edition. New
York, NY: Doubleday Books
Galda, L., Cullinan, B.E., &
Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmond, CA:Wadsworths,
Inc.
