Melissa Sweet

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: 　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 Macy's parade, and puppetry--then traveling all over the map to talk to puppeteers--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.