A fun and whimsically told biography of real life puppeteer, Tony Sarg, the man responsible for the amazing balloons we see every year in the Macy’s Day Parade. Sarg quickly masters the art of marionettes, and his talent leads him to New York City where success opens the door to opportunity. It’s a colorful depiction of a very creative little boy who grows up to use his wits and passion for inventing, and revolutionizes the use of balloons and puppets for the ultimate parade experience.
Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway: The true story of the puppeteer of Macy’s parade. NY: Houghton
Evaluative Criteria: Design
- If not the content itself, the cover alone is sure to win the attention of young readers. What child doesn’t gravitate towards balloons, animals, and parades? Sweet’s design choice for this book is perfect and compliments the topic on which she is presenting information. Parades, puppets, and balloons go hand in hand with fun and playfulness, which is what the reader gets on every page. The text is simple enough for a young reader to grasp, with big drawn out, colorful illustrations that compliment the text; it reinforces the information being presented. The layout of the text with the illustrations is also very appealing. The information is simply put in a few sentences, with more to be interpreted with the drawings. The size of both of those aspects is creates a nice balance throughout the book. Sweet also incorporates big, bold subtext and dialogue adding importance to it so readers pay closer attention. All in all, this book is designed to effectively communicate the information, while still feeding a child’s need for amusement and entertainment.
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