Recent Interview With Harry Bliss
More Luke on the Loose...
Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00 am
Harry Bliss
Bliss signing at Phoenix Books in Essex Vermont
Beloved New Yorker cartoonist, cover artist, and children's illustrator Harry Bliss will present his newest book (and first comic book), Luke on the Loose.
A little boy goes on a hilarious solo flight through New York City in this breakthrough comic book by bestselling cartoonist Harry Bliss. Luke looks on at the pigeons in Central Park, while Dad is lost in “boring Daddy talk,” and before you know it—Luke is on the Loose! This soaring story is sure to delight any young reader who has ever felt cooped up.
Harry's bestselling children’s books include Doreen Cronin’s Diary of a Worm and Which Would You Rather Be? by Caldecott Medal-winner William Steig, as well as Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Newbery Medal-winner Kate DiCamillo. Harry grew up in upstate New York in a family of artists and illustrators. He currently resides in Northern Vermont with his son and their puppy Penny (above left), who has yet to catch her first squirrel.
This just in: Starred review from School Library Journal
BLISS, Harry. Luke on the Loose map. ISBN 978-1-935179-00-9. LC number unavailable. ea vol: illus. by author. 32p. Toon Bks. 2009. Tr $12.95.
HAYES, Geoffrey. Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! CIP. May ISBN 978-0-9799238-9-0. LC 2008036307. ea vol: illus. by author. 32p. Toon Bks. 2009. Tr $12.95.
PreS-Gr 2–Bliss has created an ideal graphic novel for emerging readers. While his dad is engaged in “boring talk” with a friend, Luke notices a flock of pigeons and chases after them. The birds lead him out of Central Park through Manhattan and across the Brooklyn Bridge to a quiet rooftop. The cartoon panels are so successful at engaging readers that young children do not have to be able to read the text to enjoy the story. Each drawing is filled with humorous details. In one scene children see a man proposing to his girlfriend before Luke leaps over his café table. Though he creates havoc wherever he goes, he remains oblivious to everything but the pigeons he is chasing. Children will enjoy his rambunctious adventure as he takes them on a spirited tour of New York City. In Benny and Penny< /em>, the children are suspicious that their new neighbor has stolen Benny’s pail, so they sneak into her yard even though they know it’s a “big no-no!” Through many misunderstandings, they learn to apologize and make a new friend. The simple text uses basic vocabulary and repetition, making it accessible to emerging readers. Young children will love the graphic-novel format and the sweet, charming illustrations will draw them into the narrative. Fans of Geoffrey Hayes’s popular Benny and Penny: Just Pretend (Toon Bks., 2008) won’t be disappointed with this sequel.–Mari Pongkhamsing, St. Perpetua School, Lafayette, CA
Luke on the loose news...
Bliss's latest 'Toon Book' Luke on the Loose blog speak...
http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=11663
http://notjustforkids.blogspot.com/2009/04/rave-review-luke-on-loose-by-harry.html
http://johnandjana.lastvisibledog.org/2009/04/14/luke-on-the-loose-benny-and-penny-in-the-big-no-no-chicken-and-cat-clean-up-ojingogo/
Luke on the loose tour