"Balloons Over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet

Citation:
Sweet, Melissa. Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.
ISBN: 9780547188450

Plot Summary:
This colorful nonfiction picture book is written about Tony Sarg.  The book talks briefly about his childhood and early career but focuses mainly on his contribution to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Tony Sarg is responsible for dreaming up the large helium balloons which are still showcased in the annual parade.  Sarg incorporates his love for puppets and ingenuity to develop the balloons.  The book explains how the parade began and grew to need such large pieces!

Critical Summary:
The book begins almost as a biography of Tony Sarg.  Sweet touches on his ingenuity and originality as a boy explaining how he managed to rig a way to do his chore of feeding the chickens from his bed!  The book continues to explain his creativity and interest in puppets and how these developed over time.  The story is told chronologically and logically.  The bulk of the story is based on Sarg's work with the Macy's parade.  Sweet expertly crafts the story around his innovation of the large helium balloons.  The reader feels as though he or she is brainstorming right alongside Sarg as he incorporates ideas from all over the world.  In this way, Melissa Sweet did a wonderful job of bringing history to life for the young reader.

Review Excerpts:
BookList: "What she has done is make a joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal part."
School Library Journal: "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."

Connections:
*Bring this story further to life with actual puppets, marionettes and balloons.  Let the children see the differences between balloons filled with air and helium.
*Other books of invention (illustrated by Melissa Sweet)
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women
ISBN: 9780395937440
A River of Words: the Story of William Carlos Williams
ISBN: 9780802853028