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Artwork by Melissa Sweet
Image from www.hmhbooks.com |
by Melissa Sweet
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sweet, Melissa. 2011. BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY’S PARADE Ill. by the author.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547199450
PLOT SUMMARY
In Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, author and illustrator Melissa Sweet brings young readers the biography of Anthony “Tony” Frederick Sarg, the man behind the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon floats. The story begins with Sarg as a young boy discovering how to make things move, specifically marionettes. As an adult, Sarg continues to create puppets out of different materials such as wood, strings, and cloth, eventually making it to Broadway in New York City. Macy’s department store then asks him to design a holiday window display. The success of the display leads to the creation of Macy’s first street parade in 1924 where Sarg designs everything from the costumes to the floats, and even arranges to bring in live animals. As the parade’s popularity grew, and because the live animals scared the children, Sarg is tasked to replace the live animals with something spectacular. With inspiration from his marionettes and an Indonesian rod puppet in his collection, Sarg eventually develops large puppet-balloon hybrids that are high enough for all spectators to see. Today, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is still one of the most famous parades in the world because of Tony Sarg and his puppets.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sweet’s wonderfully designed picture book successfully brings a slice of history and a charming biography to young readers. Her writing describes Sarg’s life from childhood to adulthood in simple story form. Her gouache, collage and mixed-media illustrations mirror that of Sarg’s interest in making puppets out of everyday materials, depicting an artist’s “work space” and enhancing the time period with details such as fonts and old books and papers. The book is filled with visual delights, literally, from cover to cover. The front inside-cover spread features an opened copy presumably of 1921’s The Tony Sarg Marionette Book surrounded by Sweet’s collage materials, while the back inside-cover spread shows an advertisement for the parade that ran in the New York Times in 1933. Additional resources include an Author’s Note that gives a bit more biographical data about Sarg, a note about the book’s art, and bibliographical and quote sources. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade is recommended for children ages 8 to 12, but can be enjoyed by anyone who loves a parade.
REVIEW EXCERPTS and AWARDS
“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.” (Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review, Aug. 2011)
“What [Melissa Sweet] has done is make a joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts.” (Booklist Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
“This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high.” (Kirkus Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
“This one should float off the shelves.” (School Library Journal Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
♦ 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner
♦ 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
♦ 2012 Cook Prize honoring the best science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) picture book
♦ 2012 The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
♦ 2012 Jefferson Cup Award :: Virginia Library Association
♦ 2012 ALA Notable Book
♦ Recently named in the 2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
CONNECTIONS
For a complete Balloons Over Broadway Activity Kit from the publisher, click here.
Sweet, Melissa. 2011. BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY’S PARADE Ill. by the author.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547199450
PLOT SUMMARY
In Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, author and illustrator Melissa Sweet brings young readers the biography of Anthony “Tony” Frederick Sarg, the man behind the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon floats. The story begins with Sarg as a young boy discovering how to make things move, specifically marionettes. As an adult, Sarg continues to create puppets out of different materials such as wood, strings, and cloth, eventually making it to Broadway in New York City. Macy’s department store then asks him to design a holiday window display. The success of the display leads to the creation of Macy’s first street parade in 1924 where Sarg designs everything from the costumes to the floats, and even arranges to bring in live animals. As the parade’s popularity grew, and because the live animals scared the children, Sarg is tasked to replace the live animals with something spectacular. With inspiration from his marionettes and an Indonesian rod puppet in his collection, Sarg eventually develops large puppet-balloon hybrids that are high enough for all spectators to see. Today, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is still one of the most famous parades in the world because of Tony Sarg and his puppets.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Sweet’s wonderfully designed picture book successfully brings a slice of history and a charming biography to young readers. Her writing describes Sarg’s life from childhood to adulthood in simple story form. Her gouache, collage and mixed-media illustrations mirror that of Sarg’s interest in making puppets out of everyday materials, depicting an artist’s “work space” and enhancing the time period with details such as fonts and old books and papers. The book is filled with visual delights, literally, from cover to cover. The front inside-cover spread features an opened copy presumably of 1921’s The Tony Sarg Marionette Book surrounded by Sweet’s collage materials, while the back inside-cover spread shows an advertisement for the parade that ran in the New York Times in 1933. Additional resources include an Author’s Note that gives a bit more biographical data about Sarg, a note about the book’s art, and bibliographical and quote sources. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade is recommended for children ages 8 to 12, but can be enjoyed by anyone who loves a parade.
REVIEW EXCERPTS and AWARDS
“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.” (Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review, Aug. 2011)
“What [Melissa Sweet] has done is make a joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts.” (Booklist Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
“This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high.” (Kirkus Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
“This one should float off the shelves.” (School Library Journal Starred Review, Sept. 2011)
♦ 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winner
♦ 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
♦ 2012 Cook Prize honoring the best science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) picture book
♦ 2012 The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
♦ 2012 Jefferson Cup Award :: Virginia Library Association
♦ 2012 ALA Notable Book
♦ Recently named in the 2013-2014 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
CONNECTIONS
For a complete Balloons Over Broadway Activity Kit from the publisher, click here.
Visit the official Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade website.
Use this book among others to introduce students to biographies. After reading several biographies, students can use this graphic organizer from Time for Kids to research a famous author, athlete, politician, etc. and write their own biography.
Other books for children about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
--Milly And The Macy's Parade by Shana Corey
--Macy's on Parade: A Pop-Up Celebration of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Pamela Pease
--America's Parade: A Celebration of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Time-Life Books
Other award-winning biographies for young readers.
--The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton
--The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
--Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill
--Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
--The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis
Other books for children by Melissa Sweet.
-- Tupelo Rides the Rails
-- Carmine: A Little More Red
--A Dozen Easter Eggs
Listen to Melissa Sweet talk about writing and illustrating Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade.
Visit Melissa Sweet’s website.
Dallas, TX 1936 - Tony Sarg Theater at Fair Park during the Texas Centennial
Use this book among others to introduce students to biographies. After reading several biographies, students can use this graphic organizer from Time for Kids to research a famous author, athlete, politician, etc. and write their own biography.
Other books for children about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
--Milly And The Macy's Parade by Shana Corey
--Macy's on Parade: A Pop-Up Celebration of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Pamela Pease
--America's Parade: A Celebration of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Time-Life Books
Other award-winning biographies for young readers.
--The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton
--The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
--Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill
--Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
--The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis
Other books for children by Melissa Sweet.
-- Tupelo Rides the Rails
-- Carmine: A Little More Red
--A Dozen Easter Eggs
Listen to Melissa Sweet talk about writing and illustrating Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade.
Visit Melissa Sweet’s website.
Dallas, TX 1936 - Tony Sarg Theater at Fair Park during the Texas Centennial
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