As I was getting ready to read Chapter 4, I went to the library to get a copy of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. While I was there, I picked up another book by Mordicai Gerstein-- The Mountains of Tibet. I thought it would be interesting to see how the two stories compare.
The Mountains of Tibet is about a Tibetan man who always dreamed of seeing the world. When he dies, he has the opportunity to choose another life or going to "heaven." The man chooses to have another life and eventually chooses a life very much like the life he just led.
As with the story of Petit, this story is about an individual who wants an adventure. As a boy, the man always gazes off thinking of what else is out there. However, the Tibetan man does not have the adventure he expected-- instead he has the adventure of choosing his new life. In addition, the man's choices show how comforting and safe home can feel.
While reading, I was struck by how different the illustrations are between the two books. While The Man Who Walked Between the Towers involves ever changing perspective and framing that varies from page to page, the illustrations in The Mountains of Tibet are consistently placed from page to page and the perspective remains the same throughout. I got the distinct sense of being outside of the action in The Mountains of Tibet. It is interesting to have read the quote from Gerstein that he studied Tibetan art before creating the illustrations for this book. It is apparent that they are in a different style than those in The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.
Having read Chapter 4, I appreciated more about the decisions made in the picturebook's layout. I have almost no formal knowledge of art, so I was intrigued by what I noticed while reading. Before the man's death and after he is reborn, text and illustrations are shown on the same page with consistent layout-- illustration at the top and text at the bottom. The text is also carefully balanced between the left and right pages. After the man's death, the placement of the illustrations and text change. The dead man, having to make his choices, is placed centrally on each left hand page with text above and below the illustration. He seems safe in a circle of blue and is obviously central to the story. Pictures representing his many choices are placed on the right hand page-- also encapsulated in a circle. Considering the book's subject matter, reincarnation, I think the circular illustrations help to convey the "circle of life" and continuous nature of the universe.
How much I have been missing when looking at picturebooks!
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3 comments:
I agree with you--what have I missed because I don't read picture books?!!!
Thanks for sharing this book; I am very excited to go find this one.
It sounds a little mature for young readers--death, rebirth, etc. Do you think it's appropriate for the age you work with as a reading recovery teacher?
I wonder how Gerstein picks his subjects. I would like to read an interview with him.
Death and rebirth are definitely mature topics, however he dealt with them in such a way that I don't think young readers would be disturbed. But, I don't think that primary aged students would be able to truly understand the themes. So, I would save it for older students. It would probably be a good lead in for a unit about world religions.
I also feel I have missed a lot when it comes to the artistry involved in the illustrations of picture books. I am amazed at how many times when I read with a student, especially a beginning reader, that they seem to notice every detail in the pictures often pointing things out to me.
"Mountains of Tibet" sounds facinating. I am definately adding it to my must read list.
It is refreshing to find picture books for older students.
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