Balloons Over Broadway

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet is already a Sibert Medal Winner and is a nominee for a CYBILs award as well.  Melissa Sweet intersperses dense text about Tony Sarg with more animated features with word bubbles that seem to pop off the page and fun fonts to show strokes of genius on the part of the puppeteer.  And, I love any book that you have to turn from landscape to portrait as Sweet does when showing the first balloon marionette, the elephant, shown high above the parade goers.  Sarg's story is an inspiration to do what you love.  A quote under the author's note reads, "I have never done a stroke of work in my life." - Tony Sarg.  Meaning (at least to my interpretation) not that he didn't "work" hard, but that he didn't consider his work...work.  It was fun!  It was what he loved to do!  Within the story, the origin of the Macy's Parade lies in the traditions of many of the immigrant workers, who were accustomed to music and dancing in the streets to celebrate the upcoming holidays.  I really like that Mr. Macy honored their tradition and in such a BIG way.  So, good readers, thing BIG and (if you haven't seen it already) check out Balloons Over Broadway.  Just in time for Thanksgiving and the parades that will be coming soon.

Balloons Over Broadway
ISBN: 978-0-329-92629-8
Published 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
This book was already a part of our school library collection following the awarding of the Sibert Medal.