Matteo Pericoli

Matteo Pericoli’s "Manhattan Unfurled" was published by Random House in October 2001, meaning it still features the Twin Towers. A short note from Pericolo from that month is appended to the essay by Paul Goldberger in the booklet accompanying the concertina panoramas: “The drawings in this book were completed in December 2000. They belong to another time in history, since the skyline is no longer the same.” He also wrote on his website twenty years after the book came out that “the instant the book came out, it was already a memory of another era.” Today, not only has the WTC been nearly fully rebuilt, the first phase of Hudson Yards has been completed, residential towers along the East River have gone up, and other buildings and landscapes have reshaped how Manhattan is seen from the rivers that surround it. Yet, even more dramatic are the supertalls that have redefined the skyline at the south end of Central Park, which also relates to Pericolo, since he drew the view in 2003 in "Manhattan Within," a 360-panorama of the skyline around Central Park. Drawing may be faster than building, but the changes in NYC over the last twenty years have been especially dramatic and rapid.… (lisätietoja)

The first thing one notices about this book is its structure. It is actually two books that share a single back cover. The blue book is a drawing of Manhattan's West Side. The red book is a drawing of Manhattan's East Side. The author, Matteo Pericoli, begins both books where The Bronx ends and Manhattan begins in the middle of Henry Hudson Bridge. The author names churches, parks, and neighborhoods. The drawings point out streets like West 155th St. The author tells about his initial difficulties while trying to draw the skyline from the park; he couldn't see the buildings. He decided to take a boat ride all around the island to get the full view. He points out architectural masterpieces like The Chrysler Building alongside unimportant items such as a fire escape, at least four water towers, and the street his friend lives on. Pericoli describes the boat ride as "a tour that didn't tell me what to look at. it was all there." He could see the pretty and the ugly, top to bottom. This book showcases the size of Manhattan: a total of 44 pages of skyline. In the second half of the book, The East Side, Pericoli instructs his readers to examine their own surroundings the way he has. He tells the reader to look out of their window and draw everything there. Even though one may think he/she knows the surroundings so well, drawing it adds an entirely new understanding. Pericoli says the scenery will "have become yours." Students will originally be interested in this book because of it's unique structure. However, they will read it and see a city in a way it's never portrayed, by the skyline. This book may inspire them to look at their world differently, and even draw it including the important and the minuscule.… (lisätietoja)

Stellina, the bird, has fallen out of her nest and is alone and scared in New York. Stellina is taken in by a couple who do not live far away from her birth place. Stellina becomes their beloved pet. The story details the adventures that Stellina has with her owners'. The bird and the humans make each other happy. At the end of the story, Stellina passes away. It is noted that her name means little star, she is now in the sky looking down on her owners. I would share this book with my students because it is cute and most of us relate to having a beloved pet.… (lisätietoja)