Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade - Hardcover

by Melissa Sweet (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

From Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet comes the perfect Thanksgiving Day picture book. Let's have a parade!

Meet the master puppeteer who invented the first balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Melissa Sweet brings to life the inspirational story of the puppeteer who invented the giant balloons floating in the sky during the annual parade celebrating Thanksgiving. The Caldecott Honor artist brilliantly captures the essence of Tony Sarg, a self-taught immigrant with a fascinating imagination.

The collage illustrations coupled with Sweet's storytelling portray Sarg's joy in his childhood inventions and his ingenious balloon creations that still bring delight to viewers around the country. This nonfiction illustrated book will capture the hearts of all ages.

"This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high." (Kirkus starred review)

Author Biography

Like Tony Sarg, Melissa Sweet loved to figure out how to make things move as a child. (She even remembers taking apart her own marionettes to see how they worked!) Today, she still plays with simple materials to construct her brilliant mixed-media collage illustrations, for which she has won a Caldecott Honor and two New York Times Best Illustrated citations. About this book, she writes: 　As I began to research Tony Sarg, I was especially curious how he went from illustration and puppetry to designing the huge parade balloons. After I spent five years reading everything I could find on him, the Macy's parade, and puppetry--then traveling all over the map to talk to puppeteers--it seemed incredible that so few people knew of his work. I found him so inspiring, I wanted the whole world to know his story. For more information about the author and her work, visit www.melissasweet.net.