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I know my daughter really likes a book when she goes and grabs it or requests it the very next night. When I also like the book, I seriously consider buying it! That is how it happened this week with Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet.
The author/illustrator also happens to be one of my favorites. Her art is amazing: interesting and bold compositions, often child-like yet highly skilled pencil lined forms, lush watercolors that run from pastels to brights (but never too “bubble-gummy”). She also incorporates collage items which are always fun to search out and study.
She is the illustrator of zillions of children’s books including A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, a Caldecott Honor book.
Balloons over Broadway is about Tony Sarg a puppeteer commissioned by Macy’s to create puppets for their parade. BTW, I love picture non-fiction books! As the parade grew and became more and more popular the puppets needed to evolve into something much larger to be able to be seen by the crowds of people. Tony Sarg is responsible for designing the innovative balloon puppets we watch as the highlight of the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving Day.
Articulating puppet project
Follow up this story about puppets and creativity with a small print-and-color puppet project. You just need some (preferably) mini attachment brads, card-stock, and something pointy to make the holes.
Instructions:
- Print the following PFD on card-stock: Articulating Puppet
- Color if you like and cut out the body and arm and leg pieces
- Punch or pierce small holes at locations shown
- Join the body parts together with mini brads
- Start posing!
To take a peak into Melissa Sweet’s amazingly festive and creative world, check out her website!
I love articulating puppets and dolls.
They are fun, huh?! Thanks Krista!
Oh, the boys are ga ga for this kind of thing!
Cool, thanks!
I love your description of the illustrations. Gotta check it out…
Thanks – I think it captures what I like about them – although, I think I have a run on in there.
We need to get some brads so my kids can experiment with this!
The big brads might be better for little hands especially if you are making your own designs.
I just went to Staples to buy brads and I only need 4 for a little boy book club. This looks great for our next book club and we have the leftover brads … 96 of them!
Great – little boy book club – great idea! So glad I made the puppet a boy ; )
What is that nice, shiny, enamel looking paint you used? Wait, I just looked again. Did you do white highlights on the sweater and pants? Nicely done!
I colored in Gimp and tried to make it look like crayon but you are right, they look like highlights because of the locations (I wish I used brighter colors too – next time – fun to experiment). Thanks!
great post and puppet
Thanks, glad you like!