A Thanksgiving tradition at hour house as we get ready for lunch. Is watching Macy’s Parade . Want to know more about the balloons ? Read on 

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, Caldecott Honor 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 Robert F. Sibert Medal and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award.

About Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet has illustrated nearly 100 children’s books from board books to picture books and nonfiction titles. Her collages and paintings have appeared in the New York Times and Martha Stewart Living, on Madison Park Greetings and Smilebox cards, and on a line of eeBoo toys. She received a Caldecott Honor Medal for a River of Words by Jen Bryant
and two New York Times Best Illustrated citations.

In BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, Sweet uses her trademark mixed-media illustrations and a clear but charming text (“Tony Sarg, rhymes with aargh”) to explain the various versions of puppets and balloons Sarg made for the parade, each better than the last, until finally creating the helium-filled balloons we see today. With a gorgeous palette, sidebars of diagrams, archival photographs, and newspaper clippings, Sweet explores the legacy of a creative, fun-loving man who imbued his work with his own playful sensibility and joie de vivre. 

Melissa lives with her husband and dogs in Rockport, Maine. For more information, visit http://www.melissasweet.net.