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Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold…
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Mirette on the High Wire (1992)

by Emily Arnold McCully

Series: Mirette (1)

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Caldecott winner, 1993
a young girl in Paris finds herself enamored with the great wire-walker Bellini when he stays at her mother's boarding house. Agreeing to train her, Mirette learns to wire walk. In return, Mirette teaches Bellini to overcome his fears.
  Phill242 | May 6, 2013 |
This is the story of a little girl Mirette who dreams of becoming a tight rope walker. She lives in Paris with her mother who runs a boarding house. One day a man named Bellini comes to stay, and it turns out that he is a world-famous daredevil tight rope walker. Mirette teacher herself to walk the rope, and then befriends Bellini. He has retired because he is now afraid when walking the tight rope. At the end of the story he plans his return, only to freeze in fear when the time comes. Mirette comes to his aide, and walks out on the rope to meet him. The last picture in the book is of a poster advertising the show "Mirette and Bellini: Wire Walkers." It was a very cute story of following your dreams, and faces the challenges they present.
  aclemen1 | Apr 29, 2013 |
Mirette on the High Wire tells the story of a young girl whose mother runs a boarding house in Paris. Performers of all kinds come through their home, but Bellini, a quiet man with a sad face, turns out to be an incredible tight-rope walker. When he refuses to teach Mirette his trade, she decides to teach herself. Despite her repeated falls, she continues to work to be as good as Bellini. After bearing witness to her hard work, he agrees to teach her. It turns out he has quite a bit to learn from Mirette, as well. This book is appropriate as an independent read for 2nd-5th grade. As a read-aloud, it's appropriate for all children.
I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were phenomenal and the story was quite good. The message was an important (if somewhat cliche) one: never give up. Possibly more importantly, is the fact that the child had something to teach the adult, as well, and was treated as an equal. ( )
  Shelbya14 | Apr 23, 2013 |
When a tall, sad-faced stranger comes to live at the boarding house run by her mother in nineteenth-century Paris, young Mirette Gâteau quickly discovers that there is more to this new lodger than meets the eye. Happening upon him practicing the high-wire in the courtyard, Mirette is enchanted, and asks him to teach her. Undaunted by his refusal, she sets out to teach herself, eventually inspiring Monsieur Bellini - the "Great Bellini" himself, once the world's foremost high-wire artist, but now fallen on hard times after losing his nerve - to try to make a comeback.

An engaging tale of friendship, dreaming big, and trying again when things have gone wrong, Mirette on the Highwire was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1993, and it's not difficult to see why. Emily Arnold McCully makes excellent use of color (Mirette's blue dress really stands out, in every scene in which she appears) and light in her watercolor artwork, which ably conveys the atmosphere of a Paris neighborhood, "one hundred years ago," and captures the magic of performing on the high-wire. I don't know that it will ever make any of my "favorites" lists, but overall I found it charming, in both story and illustration. ( )
1 vote AbigailAdams26 | Apr 18, 2013 |
Caldecott Winner 1993

Cute concept. ( )
  scote23 | Mar 30, 2013 |
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One hundred years ago in Paris, when theaters and music halls drew traveling players from all over the world, the best place to stay was at the widow Gateau's, a boardinghouse on English Street.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0698114434, Paperback)

Mirette and the "Great Bellini" traverse the Paris skyline on high wire in the climactic scene of this picture book about conquering fear. The two meet at Mirette's mother's boarding house, where Bellini is staying with a troupe of traveling performers. Mirette persuades Bellini to teach her his art, and soon enough the two are performing above the rooftops of Paris. While Mirette gets to step outside her daily routine of peeling potatoes and scrubbing floors, Bellini manages to reaffirm his mastery. The story affords a spunky, down-to-earth role model for readers who like to dream big dreams. It also offers rich, scenic portraits of 19th century Paris. The book won the 1993 Caldecott Medal.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:54:03 -0400)

(see all 3 descriptions)

Mirette learns tightrope walking from Monsieur Bellini, a guest in her mother's boarding house, not knowing that he is a celebrated tightrope artist who has withdrawn from performing because of fear.

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