★ 11/20/2017 Grace has dark hair and bangs, and her glasses reflect the light—she looks quite a bit like Marcie from Peanuts, which is far from the only comics reference that Bliss (Bailey) sneaks into this mostly wordless love letter to New York City, classic cartoons, and entrepreneurial ingenuity. Grace’s Manhattan classroom has a hamster named Gus, and her teacher reminds the class to contribute to Gus’s “buddy fund.” Grace hurries home, eats dinner with her two fathers, kisses them goodnight, and promptly sneaks out into the nighttime city. She’s a busker, and a multitalented one at that, playing violin, drawing caricatures, and deploying a gymnastic “showtime” subway routine for an audience that includes Woody Allen, Donald Trump, and a grownup version of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy. The fun comes partly from watching as Grace’s resourcefulness powers her to her goal and partly from Bliss’s panels, which are crammed with New York City Easter eggs and references to writers, comedians, and cartoon characters. Despite potential dangers, Grace’s plan goes off without a hitch, and she remains cool and poised. An easy candidate for cherished bedtime favorite. Ages 4–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Feb.)
★ “A mostly wordless love letter to New York City, classic cartoons, and entrepreneurial ingenuity. The fun comes partly from watching...Bliss’s panels, which are crammed with New York City Easter eggs and references to writers, comedians, and cartoon characters. An easy candidate for cherished bedtime favorite.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★ “A love letter to NYC, to creative bespectacled schoolchildren, and to guinea pigs. The cameo appearances fly fast and furious throughout Bliss’s giddily gleeful tale; comics characters abound; and everything printed...is a pun, pop culture reference, or entertaining insider-y joke.” — Horn Book (starred review)
★ “There is plenty to discover and chuckle over, from cartoon and literary characters and cultural icons to physical comedy, humorous book titles, and clever signs. Dramatic diagonals, beautiful contrasts in lighting, and a joyful vibrancy pervade the scenes. A heartwarming call and response.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Ferreting out the nonstop walk-ons, cameos, uncredited roles, and miscellaneous Easter eggs compels readers to slow down, re-read, argue, Google, and ‘Didyacatchthat?!’ their way though.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“[Kids will] love Grace’s spunky quest to make a difference on her own.” — New York Times Book Review
“Beautifully paced and bursting with sight gags, Bliss’s nearly wordless tale is a superb example of visual storytelling. A joyful romp that will entice budding graphic novel fans and grown-ups alike.” — School Library Journal
“The intensely detailed scenes are full of clever storytelling, and he fills the crowds with iconic New Yorkers (Spike Lee, Andy Warhol) and cartoonists (Edward Gorey, Shel Silverstein) and cartoon characters (Nancy, Tintin).” — Booklist
“Grace for Gus is so rich in smart sight gags, subtle cartoon homages, and clever visual references.” — Alison Bechdel, cartoonist and author of Eisner Award-winning Fun Home
“Grace for Gus is stunning visually and in its creation of a brave and totally original new hero for our times.” — Kate McMullan, author of Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winner I Stink!
“Grown-ups will chuckle at the nods to Andy Warhol or Walt Kelly, but it’s the kids who will giggle nonstop as they spend time unearthing all the visual sight gags. A winner for all.” — Françoise Mouly, publisher of Raw Books and Toon Books, editor of The New Yorker
“In his usual brilliant way, Harry Bliss brings humor and detail (details, details, details) to every panel. Linger on every panel as long as you can-there’s something for everyone.” — Doreen Cronin, author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
“Harry Bliss’ famous humor and eye for the telling detail gives this almost-wordless book tremendous verve and heart, and the reader plenty to think about.” — David Small, author and illustrator of National Book Award-winner Stitches
“He had me at Guinea Pig!” — Jamie Lee Curtis, actress and New York Times bestselling author of Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day
Ferreting out the nonstop walk-ons, cameos, uncredited roles, and miscellaneous Easter eggs compels readers to slow down, re-read, argue, Google, and ‘Didyacatchthat?!’ their way though.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Grace for Gus is so rich in smart sight gags, subtle cartoon homages, and clever visual references.
★ “A love letter to NYC, to creative bespectacled schoolchildren, and to guinea pigs. The cameo appearances fly fast and furious throughout Bliss’s giddily gleeful tale; comics characters abound; and everything printed...is a pun, pop culture reference, or entertaining insider-y joke.
Horn Book (starred review)
Grace for Gus is stunning visually and in its creation of a brave and totally original new hero for our times.
[Kids will] love Grace’s spunky quest to make a difference on her own.
New York Times Book Review
The intensely detailed scenes are full of clever storytelling, and he fills the crowds with iconic New Yorkers (Spike Lee, Andy Warhol) and cartoonists (Edward Gorey, Shel Silverstein) and cartoon characters (Nancy, Tintin).
Grown-ups will chuckle at the nods to Andy Warhol or Walt Kelly, but it’s the kids who will giggle nonstop as they spend time unearthing all the visual sight gags. A winner for all.
Harry Bliss’ famous humor and eye for the telling detail gives this almost-wordless book tremendous verve and heart, and the reader plenty to think about.
He had me at Guinea Pig!
In his usual brilliant way, Harry Bliss brings humor and detail (details, details, details) to every panel. Linger on every panel as long as you can-there’s something for everyone.
Ferreting out the nonstop walk-ons, cameos, uncredited roles, and miscellaneous Easter eggs compels readers to slow down, re-read, argue, Google, and ‘Didyacatchthat?!’ their way though.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Grown-ups will chuckle at the nods to Andy Warhol or Walt Kelly, but it’s the kids who will giggle nonstop as they spend time unearthing all the visual sight gags. A winner for all.
The intensely detailed scenes are full of clever storytelling, and he fills the crowds with iconic New Yorkers (Spike Lee, Andy Warhol) and cartoonists (Edward Gorey, Shel Silverstein) and cartoon characters (Nancy, Tintin).
12/01/2017 K-Gr 3—Grace and her fellow students are raising money to buy Gus, the class guinea pig, a friend. But the "Gus Buddy Fund" is woefully low, so Grace decides to do her part. After dinner with her fathers, she waves goodbye to her cat and climbs out her window. First, Grace takes out her violin and busks at the West 4th Street subway station. Next, it's on to Fifth Avenue, where she turns caricature artist outside Central Park, and finally back into the subway, with a crowd-pleasing break dancing performance. Bliss's latest oozes with references to Manhattan, classic comic strips, and pop culture (Bernie Madoff, Alfred Hitchcock, Muddy Waters), most of which will go over children's heads but will delight adults. Cameos abound, too. Andy Warhol saunters by Grace's school, Woody Allen and Donald Trump cheer her subway show, and Tintin gazes after her as she leaves the train. And Grace, with her round glasses and short dark bob, is a dead ringer for Marcie (of Peanuts). Still, there's plenty here to pique young readers' interest. Beautifully paced and bursting with sight gags, Bliss's nearly wordless tale is a superb example of visual storytelling. Opaque colors and thick black outlines evoke the simplicity of a comic strip landscape, but the many background details emphasize the richness of Grace's city and will encourage readers to see their own worlds in a new light. VERDICT A joyful romp that will entice budding graphic novel fans and grown-ups alike.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal
★ 2017-10-28 Based on a short film by Bliss' son, Alexander, this nearly wordless graphic novel follows a seemingly quiet second-grader through an eventful 24 hours. The narrative opens in Grace's diverse classroom, where her teacher, a black man, reminds students about contributing to the "Buddy Fund" to purchase a companion for Gus, the guinea pig. The light-skinned protagonist sports a black pageboy and wears round glasses; they are opaque except when she greets Gus, at which point a double-page-spread close-up shows the affectionate creature reflected in her lenses. After dinner with her two dads (both pale-skinned), Grace grabs her violin case and sneaks out her bedroom window, the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance. The multitalented heroine busks for tips in the subway station, draws caricatures on Fifth Avenue, and performs pole gymnastics on the train home. Children and adults will enjoy perusing the sequential panels, designed in various sizes to control the pace. There is plenty to discover and chuckle over, from cartoon and literary characters (Charlie Brown, Nancy, Tintin) and cultural icons (Vincent van Gogh, Alfred Hitchcock, Donald Trump, Patti Smith) to physical comedy, humorous book titles, and clever signs ("Rump Tower"). Dramatic diagonals, beautiful contrasts in lighting, and a joyful vibrancy pervade the scenes drawn in ink by Bliss and digitally colored by Young. There is much rejoicing at the overflowing classroom coffers—and the goal for Gus is realized.A heartwarming call and response. (Graphic fiction. 5-adult)