Synopses & Reviews
Nine-year-old Sophie is going on a month-long voyage to Antarctica, with her dad, the captain of an icebreaker. Sailing the frozen seas round-trip from Australia to Mawson Station in the South Pole, Sophie recounts the adventure of a lifetime in her own words, illustrations, and color photographs. Sheand#8217;ll show us icebergs, penguins, seals, and whales! Itand#8217;s a dangerous journey, but Sophie is well prepared for the thrills and chills that await her on top of the world.
This friendly, informative, and beautifully presented picture book is based on the authorand#8217;s own experiences and shows the wonder of Antarctica through a childand#8217;s eyes.
Review
"Told from a welcome, fresh perspective."
—Kirkus
Review
and#8220;Sweetand#8217;s brilliant combination of collage, design, illustration and text give Balloons Over Broadway an amazing richness. . . [no one] will ever see the parade in the same way.and#8221;and#8212;Pete Hamill in The New York Times Book Review
and#8220;Itand#8217;s a history lesson, inventor's sketchbook, and inspirational story all rolled into one marvelous mixed-media masterpiece. Sweet's beautifully rendered true-life tale will have your child's imagination soaring to new heights!and#8221;and#8212;Education.com
"Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying both Sargand#8217;s enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement of the parade. . .This one should float off the shelves."and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
and#8220;Tony Sarg, the man who invented the giant balloons of the Macyand#8217;s Thanksgiving Day Parade, has found a worthy biographer in Caldecott Honoree Sweet. The rush that comes from inspiration, the cliffhanger moments of creation, the sheer joy of building something and watching it delight the multitudesand#8212;Sweet captures it all in what is truly a story for all ages"and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review
and#8220;This clever marriage of information and illustration soars high.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
and#8220;A joyous piece of nonfiction that informs and delights in equal parts.and#8221;and#8212;Booklist, starred review
"Sweetand#8217;s whimsical mixed-media collages, embellished with little dolls she made herself out of odds and ends, reinforce the theme that, for Sarg, work was play."and#8212; Horn Book, starred review
"Sweet's artwork is as joyous an affair as its subject." --Bulletin
Review
"Told from a welcome, fresh perspective."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Inquisitive readers eager to learn about the most mysterious corners of the planet will love this glimpse into near-uncharted territory."
and#8212;Booklist, starred review
"Sophie offers enthusiastic observations of the natural world, as she spots exotically shaped icebergs; penguins, seals, and whales; and the Southern Lights. . . . Endpapers packed with historic, geographic, and scientific statistics provide additional info about the continent."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Reminiscent of Webb's My Season with Penguins but for a slightly younger crowd, Sophie Scott's journal will draw readers in to the wonders of our most remote continent."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
"[A] stimulating, well-integrated mixture of text and images. . . There is great child appeal in the images, harsh conditions, and survival strategies, as well as in the behavior of animals."
and#8212;School Library Journal
Review
"An engagingly direct way of communicating both the science....and how the science is discovered." -- Kirkus and#160; "It is Webb's dual perspective, viewing the world simultaneously through the eyes of researcher and artist, that makes her accounts of nature so appealing." --The Horn Book and#160; "Another fascinating expedition:.the you-are-there immediacy of the narrative-and the clear and colorful watercolor-and-gouache landscapes and drawings of the birds form an appealing travelogue that is as exciting as it is informative." --School Libraryand#160;Journal, starred review and#160; "A good choice for children intrigued by marine biology."--Booklist
Synopsis
Nine year-old Sophie Scottand#160;embarks on a mission toand#160;Antarctica aboard an icebreaker and documents her adventure in a diary ofand#160;its natural wonders.
Synopsis
Everyoneand#8217;s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macyand#8217;s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these "upside-down puppets"? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! In brilliant collage illustrations, Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to Americaand#8212;the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macyand#8217;s Parade. Winner of the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal and the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award.
Synopsis
In extremely deep waters (two miles deep), the vast sea appears empty. But as naturalist and artist Sophie Webb shows us, it is full of fascinatingand#8212;yet difficult to studyand#8212;life. Together with her shipmates, Sophie counts and collects samples of life in the deep ocean, from seabirds to dolphins, from winged fish to whales. Only their long-term field work can really help scientists determine the health of these remarkable creatures who need the clean deep ocean to survive.
About the Author
Like Tony Sarg, Melissa Sweet loved to figure out how to make things move as a child. (She even remembers taking apart her own marionettes to see how they worked!) Today, she still plays with simple materials to construct her brilliant mixed-media collage illustrations, for which she has won a Caldecott Honor and two New York Times Best Illustrated citations. About this book, she writes: and#12288;"As I began to research Tony Sarg, I was especially curious how he went from illustration and puppetry to designing the huge parade balloons. After I spent five years reading everything I could find on him, the Macyand#8217;s parade, and puppetryand#8212;then traveling all over the map to talk to puppeteersand#8212;it seemed incredible that so few people knew of his work. I found him so inspiring, I wanted the whole world to know his story." For more information about the author and her work, visit www.melissasweet.net.