An observant little Mirette is enchanted by the diversified actors who stay at her mother's boarding house in France. Doing her chores with the laundry she's captivated watching a border named Monsieur Bellini practice his high-wire walking over the clothesline of sheets. "Her feet tingled, as if they wanted to jump up on the wire beside Bellini." Despite her pleading to him to teach her his craft he refuses. We come to realize Mirette's drive to try this new skill of satisfying her feet's desire to rise to the wire. Taken with her tenacity to succeed on the wire Bellini concedes to train her. The simulated water colored illustrations marvelously highlight the plot development with rich, clear color that seems to mirror the bold daring of the high-wire performers. The growing bond developing between the artist and his protege lift us to the pinnacle of their partnership when Mirette artfully comes to his rescue in a beautiful moment of joining her teacher to amaze the audience with new wonder.
Mirette On the High Wire is a Caldecott Medal Winner.
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1 comment:
This sounds like such a fun story! I can't wait to read it with my children! It would be great to do a mini-unit on high-wire advernturers using this book and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. An opportunity to compare and contrast two books that all students will be interested in!
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