Book Descriptions
for Crossing Niagara by Matt Tavares
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
By the mid-19 th century, Jean François Gravelet was already known as The Great Blondin, the world’s greatest tightrope walker. But a trip to Niagara Falls in 1859 inspired him to step up his game. He was determined to walk from the American to the Canadian side of the Falls on a three-inch wide rope. People came from all around the area to witness the momentous crossing, in which Blondin not only walked from the United States to Canada, but also turned around and walked back. Throughout the summers of 1859 and 1860, Blondin walked back and forth across the rope for an ever-growing, captivated audience. Each time, he added new feats of daring, including walking across blind- folded and walking across carrying another man on his back. Matt Tavares has reconstructed the story of Blondin’s remarkable feats mostly through contemporaneous newspaper accounts. His dramatic watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations show the immensity of the Falls and the enormous distance from side to side, as well as providing a close-up view of what things looked like from high atop the tightrope. (Ages 6–11)
CCBC Choices 2017. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2017. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Applaud Matt Tavares’s latest feat — a gripping tale of real-life daredevilry perfectly balanced by stunning illustrations.
“Monsieur Blondin is to cross Niagara Falls this afternoon, or perish in the attempt.” — Troy Daily Times, June 30, 1859
When the Great Blondin announced that he was going to walk from America to Canada across the Niagara River on a rope that was more than 1,100 feet long and just 3 inches wide, hanging 160 feet above the raging river, people came from everywhere. Some came to watch him cross. Some came to watch him fall. Some thought he wouldn’t show up at all. But he did show up. And he did walk across the river. And then he did something else amazing. He crossed the river on that tightrope again and again, adding another death-defying flourish each time. Matt Tavares’s gorgeous, riveting account of the daredevil of Niagara Falls is sure to hold readers in its grip, just as Blondin's feats enthralled those spectators on the cliffs more than one hundred and fifty years ago.
“Monsieur Blondin is to cross Niagara Falls this afternoon, or perish in the attempt.” — Troy Daily Times, June 30, 1859
When the Great Blondin announced that he was going to walk from America to Canada across the Niagara River on a rope that was more than 1,100 feet long and just 3 inches wide, hanging 160 feet above the raging river, people came from everywhere. Some came to watch him cross. Some came to watch him fall. Some thought he wouldn’t show up at all. But he did show up. And he did walk across the river. And then he did something else amazing. He crossed the river on that tightrope again and again, adding another death-defying flourish each time. Matt Tavares’s gorgeous, riveting account of the daredevil of Niagara Falls is sure to hold readers in its grip, just as Blondin's feats enthralled those spectators on the cliffs more than one hundred and fifty years ago.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
