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1. How has colour been used to create mood?
2. What do you think happens after the story finishes?
3. What is the main message Lucy Estela is trying to convey?
4. What lesson did the girl learn in the story?
5. What types of illustrations are used in the text?
6. What was the impact of this illustrative style?
7. Is this a realistic portrayal of what could happen?
8. how scared do you think the girl was? How do you know?
9. What do the feathers represent?
10. Who are the people gathering on the street?
11. The title of the book is Girl On Wire not The Girl on a Wire or A Girl on the Wire. What difference does this make?
12. How is language used to convey the impact of weather?

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What does this illustration tell us about the setting of the story? What kind of city do you think it is?

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Girl on Wire by Lucy Estela -  Read Aloud

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Where do you think the feather came from? How does it make you feel?

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Where is the girl standing? How do you think she feels? Look again at the city – where do you think you might find a city like this?

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Can you find the girl here? Where is she standing and what is she about to do? Have the people noticed her?

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Before reading the words, what has changed since we last saw the girl on the ledge? How can we tell?
Now read the text. What do you think of when you hear the word ‘prowl’?
Why must she begin?

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On page 10, how do you feel when you see her step her foot out? How do you think the girl is feeling?
On page 11, how are all the elements of the
illustrations helping to make you feel afraid for the
girl?

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Think of a time when you have been out on a very windy day. How did that make you feel? Now imagine trying to balance on a beam in that wind.

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Why do you think the illustrator chose to change our perspective on this spread? What is the effect? Now read the text to see how the illustration has helped
the text here.
Can you find the curious eyes? When you are trying to do something difficult, how does it feel when you’re being watched by others?
Have a close look at the street. What unusual thing can you find there? Would you find that in a regular city street? Why do you think the artist has put it there?
What elements in the illustration tell us that it’s raining?

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What has happened to the girl here?
Look closely at the clouds. Can you see how they tie in with the descriptions of the wind here and back on
p9?
Is it sometimes hard to ask for help? What usually happens when you do ask for help?

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Who do you think this person is?
What do you think is the meaning of the light she is
holding?

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Now you can see the woman more clearly, who do
you think she is? Why?
What do you think the birds are doing? What do you
think is the true meaning of the birds?
Why do you think the girl must walk the wire
herself?

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How do you think these words make the girl feel?
What is the effect of this illustration being such a
close-up of the girl’s face?

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Who are the other people in this illustration? What is
the significance of the feathers here?
Why do you think the wire now feels ‘inviting under
her feet’?

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What elements in the text create the image of the
wolves again here?
What has the artist included on this spread to help
you feel the girl's determination?

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What is the immediate effect of this very
different colouring on you as the reader? Before you
even read the text, what is it telling you about how
the girl is feeling,?
What is the significance of the storm breaking, the
wind calming and the sun shining through?

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Compare the text on this page with the text on page
4. How has the author used language to convey a
very different emotion relating the breeze on her
cheeks? How is that supported by the illustrations
on both pages?
What other elements can you now see in the
distance? What do you think they mean?

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Why do you think the girl is still moving ‘forward’ on
the last page, rather than getting to the end of the
wire?
What other important elements can you see that has
reappeared in this illustration?

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In your group

consider what the second set of questions did or didn't do to your level of understanding and experience with the text.

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CON COLLEANO (born Cornelius Sullivan) was one of Australia's greatest contributions to the annals of international circus. Born at Lismore NSW of an Irish father and an Aboriginal mother from Narrabri in 1899, he patiently developed his unique act on the tightwire in the family circus - known as Colleano's All-Star Circus - as it travelled the eastern states of Australia in the early 1900s.

It took Con several years of arduous practice to bring off his most fabulous trick, the forward somersault, and then several more years to refine that most difficult feat for public exhibition.

At 4 mins on this video you can see the somersault.

The forward somersault is regarded as the most difficult trick on the tightwire as the performer, in turning his somersault, loses sight of the wire and the performer's feet must find the wire unaided and he has to regain his balance.

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COLLEANO, CON, Australian tightwire wizard (USA, c.1939)

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MAN ON WIRE - Twin towers scene - Philippe Petit (sub ita)

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This is a clever camera trick to give the illusion of her dangling high above a building on a tightrope, when actually she was on top of a building with a mattress a few feet under her. This was common camera trick in silent films, a really good example of it was from Harold Lloyd's 1923 film "Safety Last!

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Lady dancing above New York, 300ft high in 1931

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1. Lot of fluidity can be seen in colours and they change at different points in the story reflecting the emotions of the girl for example grey dark blue and black clouds depict her inner fear, anxiety and insecurity but as she picks up courage to move ahead, the colour changes to read yellow with more clarity.
2.  The girl  gets a sense of achievement which makes her feel more confident, courageous and positive. She  feels happy on being celebrated by the onlookers.
3. The main  message is about believing in yourself. The power lies within you and with determination and courage you can make it happen.
4. The girl learnt that you can make it happen with that faith in your abilities and the courage to identify and embrace them.
5. Illustrations depicted beautiful metaphors using colours and shapes like the shape of the bird, shape of the wolf, boy at the end with a lantern and the  gradual change in colors as she moves from a state of fear to a state of courage and focus and finally to a state of achievement.
6. Impact is that it beautifully captures the emotions of the girl from the beginning till the end and  makes the impact visibly clear. It also helps the reader to connect beautifully with the text through her/ his own emotions.

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1 and 5. The use of colours and objects (metaphorically) is her inner mood or feelings or state of mind which depicts her inner anxiety or fears initially, however later when she gains confidence, or muster the courage to do the act, the colour changes... and these objects such as (storm to clear sky or storm to clear breeze) also shows the shift in her state of mind.

2. The girl looked happy and confident towards the end of the story. She seemed to have overcome the fear of crossing/ walking the rope. It looked as if it was an important milestone achieved in her life.

3. The rope was symbolic of barriers, challenges, or hurdles that one faces in their life and how if you believe in your oneself and capacities that you possess, you are able to overcome that fear.

4. She learned to keep faith in her power, abilities, and realized how she could do things...

6. The illustrations are so impactful that they help us feel the inner state of the girl and it moves us as readers and feel what she was going through at each moment. The change in colour, the objects such as feathers, storm, etc, are all creating this impact.

7. Yes, very much. It can happen to anyone.

8. The expressions on her face, her body language, the words such as 'she looked down', etc.

9. feathers represent hope, or faith or self belief, support that one requires to do something different, new ...

10. audience, viewers, people who were concerned about her, people who doubted her, people who wanted to see how well she does...

11. Probably the title Girl on Wire helps us see that neither the girl is important or the wire, it is about the situation that one could feel or undergo fear... and overcoming it...

12. The weather was depicting her inner state... It sort of helped us gauge how fearful she was... she was standing motionless, the cold breeze was biting...

1. About, Analyse

2. Beyond, prediction, inference

3. Beyond, synthesizing

4. Inference, beyond

5. About, analyse

6. About, analyse

7. About, Analyse

8. Inference (beyond), searching for and looking for information, (Within)

9. Inferring, beyond

10. looking/ searching for information, within, inference, beyond

11. , analyse, About

12. analyse, About

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7. Yes, it is a realist portrayal of what could happen.
8. Her expressions, vocabulary used in the text , setting and the impact of illustrations clearly show how she was feeling.
9. Feathers represent hope, freedom, breaking down all the inhibitions and moving ahead with courage and focus.
10  Metaphoric representation of the people who were important in her life and to whom she felt strongly connected.
11. The story is not about the feat of a particular girl walking on  a specific wire but is a metaphor for life and holds true for many situations in life.
12. Clouds begin to prowl, storm clouds bellow, wind howls around her, fresh breeze kisses her cheeks are some of the phrases that beautifully  describe the weather conditions.

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1.     How has colour been used to create mood?

The colours used in the illustrations are evocative of the state of mind of the girl. The background is stormy and dark, creating a gloomy and tense atmosphere when she has a moment of crisis, and brightens up as she overcomes her fears. About, analysis

2. What do you think happens after the story finishes?

The girl reaches the other end of the wire and emerges a more confident person. She gains faith in herself and her abilities. Beyond, prediction.

3. What is the main message Lucy Estela is trying to convey?

The author is trying to tell the readers that no matter the size of the challenge in front of you, your courage and faith in yourself can carry you through it. Any worthwhile achievement requires the courage to take that first step.  Beyond, synthesize.

4. What lesson did the girl learn in the story?

The girl learns to overcome her fears and that though she might have many supporters, she has to put in the work on her won to achieve her goal. Beyond, inference

5. What types of illustrations are used in the text?

The book is illustrated in watercolours. The pictures are focused on the atmosphere, expressions and the actions of the character. The perspective keeps changing according to the state of mind of the girl. For example, the girl appears tiny when she is overwhelmed, when she is being encouraged by the crowd, she is put in perspective to the throngs below. The illustrations were rich in symbolism e.g. the storm clouds, the lantern in the hand of the figure on the other end, the birds, and the red feathers in the hands of the crowd as well as the girl. Within, searching for and using information

6. What was the impact of this illustrative style?

The illustrations evoke strong emotions. The details in the illustrations add to the depth of the text by adding layers that are not explicitly stated. They convey a sense of the atmosphere and the mood through the use of colours and strokes.

7. Is this a realistic portrayal of what could happen?

Though the events might not be completely realistic, the emotional journey of the character is relatable for most readers.

8. how scared do you think the girl was? How do you know?

The girl was terrified in the beginning of her walk. This is evident from her expressions, the language used by the author, e.g. ‘she covers her eyes and crouches into a ball’, her call for help.

9. What do the feathers represent?

The feathers represent hope, faith, courage, and self-belief. The feathers in the hands of the people represent support and positive emotions.

10. Who are the people gathering on the street?

The image seems to represent her family and dear ones.

11. The title of the book is Girl On Wire not The Girl on a Wire or A Girl on the Wire. What difference does this make?

The title serves a symbol where girl could be any person who is taking a risk, who has to overcome her fears and anxieties, and the wire could represent any difficult situation or a treacherous path that a person needs to traverse.

12. How is language used to convey the impact of weather?

The language used to describe the weather seem to be metaphors for the situation that the girl is in. Phrases like ‘cold winds bite her cheeks’,

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It seems to be a big city with high rise buildings an extremely cold place.

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It seems feather belonged to the bird that was seen flying in the first picture and it fell on the word Girl which is symbolic of shedding fears and taking on her wings to move forward with courage.

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The girl is standing against a wall/ tower. She is full of self doubt, fear, anxiety, standing with her hands pressed close to her chest as if she is holding on to something very heavy.  Her face carries an expression of extreme tension which was evident from  her eye brows and her head bending down.

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The girl has moved slightly away from the wall, no longer leaning against it probably ready to take her first step on the wire. People are busy in their own chores and are not noticing her.

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The weather becomes stormy and it is evident from how her hair are swaying in the air .
Clouds begin to prowl depict her inner fear getting more dense and bigger and thus she wanted to take the first step before it overpowered her and inhibited her from taking that first step.

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We felt scared on seeing the girl. The girl is testing and ensuring that she is taking a safe and secure step ahead with  one foot  on the wire but the other one still on the ledge.
On page 11, - birds flying below her, the high rise buildings below her and her diminishing size amidst all these show the height , thrust of wind shown through the swishing of her hair and dress , the way she is using her toes, the weather conditions, the transition from grey to dark black clouds all give a sense of fear for the girl.

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It makes me feel very scary. Balancing on the beam in such a weather would be even more scary.