Review of Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss

Early Reader Comic Book Introduces a Modern Dennis the Menace

Feb 13, 2009

New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss takes kids on a madcap chase through New York in his first comic book story.

Listening to his dad talk to grownups in Central Park is way too boring for a little boy like Luke. He’d much rather chase the pigeons he sees flapping around the park. So when dad’s attention wanders for a second, Luke lets go of his hand – and the chase is on!

Soon Luke’s having the time of his life, running through New York, creating traffic jams, scaring dogs, and even screwing up a marriage proposal. With every step he takes, new disasters erupt, and eventually both the police and the fire department are on Luke’s tail.

Then Luke ends up following the birds onto the edge of a tall water tower. Uh oh! Can the firemen get him down before it’s too late?

Harry Bliss

Best known as the illustrator of Doreen Cronin’s Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, and Diary of a Fly books, cartoonist Harry Bliss shows he’s equally adept at drawing kids like Luke, a cute African-American boy whose sweet appearance hides a gift for mischief and mayhem. Young readers will love following Luke’s crazy run through the Big Apple, which Bliss illustrates with all the energy and fun of a MAD magazine.

As cute as Luke is though, readers will likely sympathize more with the dogs, cats, people, and even rats Luke terrorizes (albeit unintentionally) as he chases the pigeons. After seeing how much trouble Luke causes, more than one parent will breathe a sigh of relief to see him on a kid leash at the end, for, as one squirrel accurately observes, “This kid is nuts!”

TOON Books

As part of The Little Lit Library’s TOON Books imprint, Luke on the Loose offers a high quality comic book designed to be read by readers as young as four (although older readers enjoy these books as well). TOON Books are easy to read and rely heavily on narrative artwork to tell the story – which provides the added bonus of helping kids learn visual literacy.

In the case of Luke on the Loose, this is especially true since Bliss, a seasoned cartoonist for the New Yorker, enjoys filling each panel with lots of fun background details – from dogs who like to drag their owners across the park, to surprise cameos by the Hulk and Olive Oyl – giving kids lots of visual treats to absorb. Bliss even offers a simple map of New York at the end for readers to trace Luke’s journey.

Fans of Luke on the Loose should check out other books in the TOON Books imprint, including Stinky by Eleanor Davis and Geoffrey Hayes’ Benny and Penny comic books. More TOON Books are forthcoming, and readers can visit the TOON Books Website for more information.

Bliss, Harry. Luke on the Loose. New York: TOON Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-935179-00-9

The copyright of the article Review of Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss in Picture Books is owned by Michael Jung. Permission to republish Review of Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.