Balloons Over Broadway- The True Story of The Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet- Book Set #2

Sweet, M.  (2011).  Balloons over broadway; the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade.  New York, NY.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

This is the true story of Tony Sarge who was a puppeteer, artist, designer, and creator.  He is most famous for the design and creation of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.  His ingenuity and imagination brought balloons to life.  He thought of his creations as simply an upside down puppet or marionette (a puppet held by and moved by strings).  Instead of the strings going up, they would go down.  He worked with a blimp company to make balloons out of rubberized silk filled with air and some helium too.  In May 1928 the balloons made their debut in New York and they have become more spectacular every year. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade has become a tradition to watch in almost every American's home thanks to Mr. Tony Sarge himself.  In this picture book biography, Melissa  Sweet is able to capture the talent of one man and his enormous contribution to American culture through his art.  The Author's note (which explains her research process), bibliography and sources give the story validation and accuracy.  Melissa Sweet combines water color illustrations with collages to help us imagine "what it may have felt like to be in Sarg's world", and gives the story a unique design and style of its own.   Colorful enough for even the youngest student, and interesting enough for anyone who appreciates art or has fond memories of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade from their own childhood. 

Here are some good sources and ideas for activities and lessons to go with this book-

melissasweet.net
http://suzyred.com/2013_Balloons_Over_Broadway.html