By Melissa Sweet
Houghton Mifflin Harcdourt, $16.99, 32 pages

Melissa Sweet’s Balloons Over Broadway tells the history of those magical, floating, larger-than-life balloons that have been the center of the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade since 1928. It also highlights the life of Tony Sarg, the toy-loving, creative genius who invented them. Sweet’s book is filled with interesting facts and captivating illustrations in vivid colors – a visual feast for the eyes. Also included are pictures of real marionettes and puppets the author created from various materials while doing research for this book, as well as a copy of an original advertisement for the parade that appeared in the New York Times from 1933. Children ages 9-99 will appreciate and be inspired by the young at heart, fun-loving, artistic natures of both the author and Mr. Sarg that are captured in Balloons Over Broadway.

Kimberly Logan-Elwell

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