Sweet, Melissa. BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY’S PARADE. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. ISBN 0547199457
Tony Sarg grew up
collecting toys and learning how to make things move, a passion he turned into
a career in New York City’s Broadway theatres.
When Macy’s department store enlisted him to create a street parade
without real live animals that scared children, Tony turned to his beloved
marionette puppets – supersized! – to get the job done. Part puppet, part blimp, these creatures
evolved into the soaring parade balloons millions of children still love to see
every Thanksgiving Day at the Macy’s parade.
Caldecott Honor Winner
Melissa Sweet’s creation, BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY, is a delightful biography
about the man who made magic come to life on the streets of New York. Sweet’s extensive research on the life of
Tony Sarg is evident in the book’s careful attention to detail, which includes
stories from Sarg’s childhood, quotes from the man himself, and even excerpts
from letters the puppeteer received from young fans. The story is chronologically organized, with
clear reference aids to help readers find just what they want to lean about
Sarg’s story. For example, drawings and
photographs are creatively labeled to show the correct pronunciation of Sarg’s
last name (“Sarg rhymes with aargh!”), the winding parade route on a map of New
York City, and even the design sketches and color palettes for balloons in the
works. Sweet displays this information
in bright colors and catchy layouts, which invite children to explore and wonder
about Tony Sarg’s creative life and career.
Young readers will want to look through the book again and again, and
will be sure to catch a new detail on the pages each time. Sweet includes an author’s note at the book’s
end, which gives more information on Sarg’s balloons and art, as well as cites
her quotes and sources. Her thorough
notes prove to give BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY the accuracy and credibility to
shine as a children’s picture book biography.
The illustrations in
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY truly steal the show, inviting readers to pore over
every nook and cranny of each page.
Sweet uses a range of media in her collage pictures, including pages
from old puppet books, actual newspaper articles about the first Macy’s parades
in New York City, and even original toys hand created during her research for
the book. The illustrations blend these materials
with Sweet’s watercolor paintings to create a whimsical and magical style that portrays
Tony Sarg’s life in a way that will inspire children to create art of their
own. The layers of detail and texture in
the book’s pictures help tell Sarg’s story, such as the clipped scraps of
fabric he used to make puppet clothes and the Indonesian rod puppet laying
across his plan book, later inspiring the upside down marionettes that would
become Sarg’s famous balloon animal puppets.
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY’s illustrations are colorful and imaginative,
encouraging curiosity and surprise for eager young readers.
Melissa Sweet has created
a true masterpiece in BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY.
The 2012 winner of The Robert F. Sibert Medal for distinguished
informational books and the 2012 winner of The National Council of Teachers
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, this tale of Tony
Sarg’s life is a must-read for anyone who has ever marveled at the soaring
balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL calls BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY “a delightful
example of good nonfiction that should capture the interest of young and old
alike.” PUBLISHERS WEEKLY raves, “The
rush that comes from inspiration, the cliffhanger moments of creation, the
sheer joy of building something and watching it delight the multitudes – Sweet
captures it all in what is truly a story for all ages.”
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Students reading BALLOONS
OVER BROADWAY may be inspired to create their own miniature parade balloons,
using art supplies and balloons. These
creations, when filled with helium, can be used to create a small-scale version
of Sarg’s famous parade.
Related books on the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade include:
MILLY AND THE MACY’S
PARADE, By Shana Corey, Illustrated by Brett Helquist, ISBN 0439297559
MACY’S ON PARADE: A
POP-UP CELEBRATION OF MACY’S THANKSGIVING PARADE, By Pamela Pease, ISBN 0966943325
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