Balloons Over Broadway: The true story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of the Macy's parade. New York: Houghton. 

This nonfiction book tells the story of Tony Sarg who developed the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Tony began his life as a puppeteer and moved from London to New York to pursue his dreams. He eventually caught the attention of R. H. Macy and started making the annual holiday window displays. When Macy decided to host the first Thanksgiving parade, Tony helped design costumes and floats. Over a period of several years he developed the first rubberized, helium filled balloons that became the hallmark of the parade today. Melissa Sweet walks the reader through the design process of how Sarg developed the idea of the balloons. 

This book is targeted for elementary aged children, but contains such fascinating details and information that all ages could appreciate it. The illustrations are done in a collage style with a mixture of water color pictures, fabric and found objects. The result is fantastic artwork that will appeal to young children. The idea running through the story shares how Sarg never gave up and each time he was asked to make something better, he worked on the problem until he found a solution. 

Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration 2012