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Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully

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Mirette is a young girl in Paris who lives and works with her family at a boarding house (a hotel). Mirette loves hearing travelers stories of their adventures. One day a stranger by the name of Bellini arrives and asks for a quiet place to stay. Mirette discovers that Bellini practices his tightrope walking in the courtyard every morning and asks him to teach her, but he refuses telling her that "Once you start your feet are never happy again on the ground." Mirette continues to watch Bellini and begins to teach herself to walk the tightrope while Bellini isn't there. When she succeeds she shows Bellini and an impressed Bellini begins to teach her. Mirette learns quickly and is soon quite confident in her abilities. One day an agent arrives and learns that the Great Bellini is staying at the boarding house. Mirette rushes to tell Bellini, but Bellini admits that he cannot perform for the crowd because he is afraid. Mirette is heartbroken and Bellini resolves to face his fear so that he doesn't disappoint Mirette. When the time for the performance comes he gets out onto the tightrope, but freezes until Mirette comes to join him on the tightrope. The story ends as Mirette and Bellini cross the wire together, while the agent plans for the duo's future performances.

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Emily Arnold McCully was born in 1939 in Galesburg Illinois. When she was five her family moved to Long Island New York, where she grew up a as "daredevil" with her younger sister, a frequent coconspirator. She studied art at Brown and then at Columbia where she earned a Masters in Art History. Ms. McCully both written and illustrated books, sometimes illustrating for her own work other times for other authors' stories.

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Emily Arnold McCully - Author/Illustrator

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Emily Arnold McCully is the Caldecott Medalist author/illustrator of Mirette On the High Wire and many other picture books featuring courageous and persevering girls from history and her imagination; as Emily Arnold she published two adult novels and an O'Henry Award short story

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Henry Bellini was one of many daredevils in the late 19th century who crossed Niagra Falls on a tightrope.  Bellini made his first of many crossings of the falls on August 25, 1873.  The rope he crossed on weighed 2500 pounds.  When he was finished on the tightrope Bellini would jump from the rope landing in the river below where a rescue crew was waiting in a boat to pick him up.

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In 1873, Bellini came to Niagara Falls at the age of 32 years. On August 25th 1873, Bellini made his first tight rope walk across the Niagara River using a 457 metre long rope with a 6.4 cm diameter and weighing 1134 kilograms.

He combined a tight rope walk with a leap into the raging river below. He tried crossing using a 7 m long balance pole that weighed 22 kg. Following his leap into the water, Bellini was picked up by an awaiting boat.

Bellini made three such leaps during 1873. In the winter of 1886, Bellini jumped from the Upper Suspension Bridge and was hauled from the water unconscious with broken ribs but alive.

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History of Niagara Falls Daredevils - Henry Bellini

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In 1873, Bellini came to Niagara Falls at the age of 32 years. On August 25th 1873, Bellini made his first tight rope walk across the Niagara River using a 457 metre long rope with a 6.4 cm diameter and weighing 1134 kilograms. He combined a tight rope walk with a leap into the raging river below.

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Tightrope walking is all about balance.  This story provides a great bridge into a science unit about gravity effects us and what that means for our balance.  The link at the bottom of this post provides activities based on these concepts for students in grades K-8.

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10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism

-1- Illustrations
There are relatively few characters in this story.  All of the characters with leading roles are caucasian (Mirette and her mother are French, Bellini Italian, the secondary characters, namely the travelling troupes come from all over).  This story is set, however,  in late 19th century France prior to the waves of immigration that followed the depopulation caused by the first world war.  The story does much better on the sexism front with Mirette as the primary active doer.
-2- Story Line
From here on I shall focus on sexism rather than racism due to the lack of racial diversity as mentioned in point 1.  There are three phases to the story that I would like to touch on.  First the introduction, in this section we are introduced to Mirette and given a series of descriptions for her.   The tasks she does at this stage are all housework tasks associated with her job working at the boarding house.  The second phase is when she is teaching herself and then being taught by Bellini to walk the tightrope. She is determined, headstrong, and capable.  In the final phase Mirette helps Bellini overcome his fears.  At this point Mirette becomes a kind of partner.  While the initial roles Mirette fills may be stereotypical "women's work" her growth through the story makes her anything but conventional or stereotypical.
-3- Nothing to say on this one
-4- Relationships
Bellini is portrayed as a mentor.
The mother is a largely undeveloped supporting role.
-5- Note the heroes
Whose interest is Mirette serving?
This story is about Mirette's adventure.  She learns the tightrope because she wants to, purely for herself.  At the end of the story she helps her friend and mentor overcome his fears.
-6- Self-Image
In this story Mirette is the brave one.
-7- Nothing to say on this one
-8- Loaded Words
I didn't note any.
-9- Published 1992
-10- Nothing to say on this one

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Randolf Caldecott Medal

"The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children."
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Randolph Caldecott Medal | Awards & Grants

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The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.