Crossing Niagara The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin [Hardcover]

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.Tavares’s strength lies in his inviting watercolor, pencil, and gouache illustrations, which convey here the majesty of the waterfall and Blondin’s achievement, as well as the intensity of the hundreds of people who gathered to watch. Their alternately terrified and excited faces add depth to the story and draw the eye. A simple but effective biography about a remarkable talent expressed through striking visuals.
—School Library Journal

Tavares’s sweeping panoramas and direct storytelling easily transport audiences back to those suspense-filled summer days more than 150 years ago.
—Publishers Weekly

Tavares' color palette captures the stunning falls, river, and forested slopes in gray-white mist, pastel blues, and soft greens...A compressed, respectful glimpse at the achievements of a fascinating 19th-century daredevil.
—Kirkus Reviews

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