Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade

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Overview

2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner

Winner of the 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his ...

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More About This Book

Overview

2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner

Winner of the 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade.

Winner of the 2012 Sibert Medal
Winner of the 2012 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Tony Sarg (1880–1942, “rhymes with aargh!”), the man who invented the giant balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, has found a worthy biographer in Caldecott Honoree Sweet (A River of Words). With lighthearted watercolors, fanciful scrapbooking, and collaged typography, Sweet shows how Sarg, a self-taught immigrant, combined an indomitable curiosity with an engineer’s know-how and a forever-young imagination. The story walks readers through each stage of Sarg’s development as a master of puppetry—his childhood fascination with mechanics and marionettes, his first big break as a developer of window displays for Macy’s, and his early earthbound parade creations (essentially air-filled rubber bags that were steered down the street). And then comes the light-bulb moment: “With a marionette, the controls are above and the puppet hangs down...” writes Sweet. “But what if the controls were below and the puppet could rise up?” 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. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
“Sweet’s brilliant combination of collage, design, illustration and text give Balloons Over Broadway an amazing richness. . . [no one] will ever see the parade in the same way.”—Pete Hamill in The New York Times Book Review

“It’s a history lesson, inventor's sketchbook, and inspirational story all rolled into one marvelous mixed-media masterpiece. Sweet's beautifully rendered true-life tale will have your child's imagination soaring to new heights!”—Education.com

"Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying both Sarg’s enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement of the parade. . .This one should float off the shelves."—School Library Journal, starred review

“Tony Sarg, the man who invented the giant balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, has found a worthy biographer in Caldecott Honoree Sweet. 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"—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts.”—Booklist, starred review

"Sweet’s whimsical mixed-media collages, embellished with little dolls she made herself out of odds and ends, reinforce the theme that, for Sarg, work was play."— Horn Book, starred review

"Sweet's artwork is as joyous an affair as its subject."—Bulletin

School Library Journal
K-Gr 3—Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer responsible for the creation of those now-famous gigantic balloons that are emblematic of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even as a child, Tony Sarg was fascinated with movement, rigging ingenious contraptions that allowed him to feed the chickens early in the morning while remaining snug in his bed. He moved on to create fabulous marionettes that came to the attention of Macy's, and he was invited to design their holiday window displays. In 1924, when the store decided to put on a parade to please their immigrant employees who missed their holiday traditions of music and dancing in the streets, Sarg designed costumes and floats. As the parade became increasingly popular and the streets more and more crowded, he realized he needed to design something that would be large enough and high enough to be seen by all, and the idea of the balloons was born. Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying both Sarg's enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement of the parade. Rich in detail, the gouache, collage, and mixed-media illustrations are a stand-out, capturing the charm of the period and the awe-inspiring balloons. This one should float off the shelves.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Kirkus Reviews

This bright, brimming picture biography commemorates Tony Sarg, a brilliant, self-taught artist whose innovative helium balloons delighted legions of Macy's parade watchers from 1928 on.

Sweet sketches Sarg's career as a puppeteer and marionette-maker. Moving from London to New York City, where his marionettes performed on Broadway, Sarg engineered mechanical storybook characters for Macy's "Wondertown" holiday windows. In 1924, he created floats and costumes for the first Macy's parade, which celebrated both immigrant and American holiday traditions. When the annual parade's lions and tigers (borrowed from the Central Park Zoo) frightened children, Macy's commissioned Sarg to replace them. Ever innovative, Sarg eventually utilized rubberized silk and helium to create larger, lighter balloons that could be controlled from below. Sweet's charming mixed-media layouts form a playful bridge between her creative process and Sarg's. She fashioned whimsical toys from painted blocks, buttons and fabric, combining them in photo-collages with old books, cut paper, imagined sketches for Sarg's projects, watercolor images of parade scenes and much more. Endpapers inform and delight, too, with excerpts from a 1929 book about Sarg's marionettes and a front-page parade invitation in the 1933New York Times. Backmatter is also a collage of treats, with an author's note appending further biographical details and comments about the art.

This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high. (bibliography of adult sources, quote sources, acknowledgements, period photo)(Picture book/biography. 4-8)

Pete Hamill
Sweet's brilliant combination of collage, design, illustration and text gives Balloons Over Broadway an amazing richness. Children who can read will learn from written details, footnotes, instructions from Sarg himself. Younger children should be dazzled by the visual excitement of each spread. For parents and teachers, there is a bibliography and a note from the author that can help explain Sarg. None will ever see the parade in the same way.
—The New York Times Book Review
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780547199450
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 11/1/2011
  • Format: Library Binding
  • Pages: 40
  • Sales rank: 43,375
  • Age range: 4 - 8 Years
  • Product dimensions: 9.12 (w) x 11.30 (h) x 0.34 (d)

Meet the Author

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.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 17 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 17 Customer Reviews

  • Posted May 28, 2012

    A fun history lesson!

    This nonfiction book tells the story of how the Macy's Day Parade came about. The main character Tony Sarg is fascinated by the way things move. He was always building and experimenting with pulleys and rope. He grew up and wanted to do nothing but make marionettes for young children. Tony Sarg eventually ends up all grown up in New York City and has a job working at Macy's. Before you know it, you are receiving a complete history lesson about one of the major holiday events in New York. The author does a great job at making this history lesson fun and entertaining. The art that is contained in this book is so colorful, and is reminiscent of a scrap book project. I'm so glad I found this book, and you will be too!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 26, 2012

    Balloons over Broadway is the true story of the puppeteer Tony S

    Balloons over Broadway is the true story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg. Sarg created the "upside down puppets" that everyone gets to see during the Thanksgiving day parade. Through collage like illustrations students get to learn about a historical figure. Instead of a boring biography this book offers a chance for the reader to read about somebody who created something amazing and made an impact on our country through beautiful and colorful pictures. This novel and it's beautiful illustrations grab you from beginning to end and show a wonderful story.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 24, 2012

    I like how this book is a true story, and it can teach children

    I like how this book is a true story, and it can teach children about how the macys day parade came to be. The author did an incredible job depicting the characters and making it a fun way to learn about something that happens in the present day. The character likes the way things moves and when he grows up has a job working at macys. When I read this book I didn't even feel like I was learning a lesson the entire time I felt like I was just enjoying the book for how it was. The illustrations are beyond amazing with the colors and art.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 25, 2012

    Such a great book! I loved the story of the Macy's Thanksgiving

    Such a great book!
    I loved the story of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It's a great history lesson that appeals to children and would be a great activity during the holidays for your classroom!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 16, 2013

    BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY Twenty-year-old protagonist Tony Sar

    BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY

    Twenty-year-old protagonist Tony Sarg moves to New York City on an adventure he will never forget in this book Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet. This picture book is an easy read for 2nd-4th graders, with a third person narrator who tells the story with understandable vocabulary for young ages. It’s early 1900s, and Tony Sarg and his beautiful marionettes go to New York City to work on Broadway. When R.H. Macy hears word that Tony’s in New York. Macy asks Tony to design a “puppet parade” that moves for display windows. The crowd was awestruck and mesmerized by this “Wondertown” of marionettes and mechanical puppets. It was a success, and everybody loved it. Then Macy’s asked Tony to design an immigrant parade on Thanksgiving Day. Most of the Macy employees were from different countries; so every year the store held a parade with different floats for the different cultures. The parade ran into some conflicts that Tony uses his problem solving skills to find new, improved solutions. Read the book to find out.

    One of the themes of this book is Tony’s ability to problem solve. Evidence of this is when he was a little boy. Tony had to feed the chickens early every morning but he didn’t want to get out of bed. So he made a contraption that would feed the chicken’s without him having to get out of bed. Every night Tony spread out chicken feed in front of the chicken coop. Then with pulleys and a piece of rope he attached the rope to the door of the chicken coop and then attached the pulleys and rope leading up to his window. So in the morning, when he was in his bed, he would pull the rope to let the chickens out to eat the feed he spread out the previous night. His invention worked, and he was very happy.

    The illustrations in this book connect to the text very well and foreshadow a little bit. On pages 9,14,15, and 20 he is drawing his ideas, and readers can see the floats that are going to be in the parade. The illustrations also show where the action takes place. An example of this on some of the pages where the parade is going on, there is a map in the background, and it shows the path the parade is taking. Also when Melissa Sweet draws Tony’s office you can tell that he is a very crafty guy. You can tell this because the room is very colorful with all the colors of the rainbow, and there are gears, scraps of fabric, glue, and tools everywhere, on table tops, on shelves, and pouring out of cupboards.

    This book is a great nonfiction and beautifully written with wonderful illustrations. Melissa Sweet is very creative and makes this nonfiction book a fun easy read that is not boring like a normal nonfiction books with historical and science terms and such. On pages 26 and 27 when the big cat float is passing windows in a very tall apartment building she writes, “They shimmied and swayed through the canyons of New York City.” This is beautiful writing because it shows what the floats are doing. She is also a very good illustrator with her beautifully sketched images to make them look like their real life. I like this book because the book is based on a real story with a picture book twist to make it fun. This book is great, and I recommend it to children at ages 7-9.

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  • Posted January 4, 2013

    Highly Recommended

    Excellent book. So much fun for the "thanksgiving" time of year. The illustrations are beautiful as well. Its a keeper.

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  • Posted November 26, 2012

    This is a great picture book. I would allow pre-kindergarten rea

    This is a great picture book. I would allow pre-kindergarten read this only because of the picture being exciting to them because they hear about parades or marching often.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    Posted October 14, 2012

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