by Melissa Sweet
Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's parade. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Tony Sarg was born in 1880. As a creative and inventive child, he made contraptions that would accomplish his early morning chores while allowing him to remain in bed. When he became an adult, he fashioned such incredible marionettes in London that Macy's department store in New York sought him out to design their holiday window displays. This led to another job: creating a Thanksgiving day parade. That first parade in 1924 was so successful that it continued every year, becoming more spectacular as Sparg's balloons evolved over time.
This biography of Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg is written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet in a way that is interesting. I love the way she used varied mediums throughout the book. For example, before the title page, she included a picture of an actual page from The Tony Sarg Marionette Book which highlights Sarg's toy collection. The title page is also intriguing with the book title hooked up to a pully and pictures of replicas of some of Tony's toys. A photograph of Tony working with his art supplies reminds the reader that this is a biography, but then the story of his life is presented as a narrative with drawn illustrations. Overall, this is an informative and interesting story designed in a thoughtful and effective format. It was neat to hear how the Thanksgiving Day parade I see every year came into being.
🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮
An interview with Melissa Sweet: http://www.artofthepicturebook.com/-check-in-with/2014/10/6/an-interview-with-melissa-sweet
Book trailer:
A little about Tony Sarg: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-puppeteer-who-brought-balloons-to-the-thanksgiving-day-parade-180947863/
Pictures from the 2017 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/23/us/gallery/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-2017/index.html
Tony Sarg was born in 1880. As a creative and inventive child, he made contraptions that would accomplish his early morning chores while allowing him to remain in bed. When he became an adult, he fashioned such incredible marionettes in London that Macy's department store in New York sought him out to design their holiday window displays. This led to another job: creating a Thanksgiving day parade. That first parade in 1924 was so successful that it continued every year, becoming more spectacular as Sparg's balloons evolved over time.
This biography of Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg is written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet in a way that is interesting. I love the way she used varied mediums throughout the book. For example, before the title page, she included a picture of an actual page from The Tony Sarg Marionette Book which highlights Sarg's toy collection. The title page is also intriguing with the book title hooked up to a pully and pictures of replicas of some of Tony's toys. A photograph of Tony working with his art supplies reminds the reader that this is a biography, but then the story of his life is presented as a narrative with drawn illustrations. Overall, this is an informative and interesting story designed in a thoughtful and effective format. It was neat to hear how the Thanksgiving Day parade I see every year came into being.
🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮
An interview with Melissa Sweet: http://www.artofthepicturebook.com/-check-in-with/2014/10/6/an-interview-with-melissa-sweet
Book trailer:
A little about Tony Sarg: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-puppeteer-who-brought-balloons-to-the-thanksgiving-day-parade-180947863/
Pictures from the 2017 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/23/us/gallery/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-2017/index.html
