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Overview
When big ships get to the harbor, they need me! 'Cause I'm MIGHTY! And I can nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull 'em in.
You think this tug's too small to pull in ships twenty times his size? Think again! This guy is 100% MIGHTY!
Kate and Jim McMullan's follow-up to the multi-award-winning I Stink! is a raucous tribute to a tireless harbor hero.
A little tugboat shows how he can bring big ships into the harbor even though he is small.
Synopsis
When big ships get to the harbor, they need me! 'Cause I'm MIGHTY! And I can nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull 'em in.
You think this tug's too small to pull in ships twenty times his size? Think again! This guy is 100% MIGHTY!
Kate and Jim McMullan's follow-up to the multi-award-winning I Stink! is a raucous tribute to a tireless harbor hero.
Publishers Weekly
In this husband-and-wife team's saucy follow-up to I Stink! (narrated by a city garbage truck) another feisty fellow-a tugboat in a bustling harbor-immediately draws readers into his world, bellowing, "Hey! Over here! Yeah, me, the little guy." The brassy tug explains that ships entering the harbor need him, " 'Cause I'm mighty! And I can nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull 'em in." He cheerfully chats with the various vessels he services, calling each by name: "Yo, Moby Dee! Your ride's here!" he yells to "a low-riding tanker with a belly full of oil." A cutaway view shows the hero steering Moby clear of shallow waters. After helping a freighter loaded with cars ("a six-decker doozie") and a "super-duper" cruise ship safely to their docks, the tug announces, "I'm all tuggered out" and turns in for some shut-eye before the morning, when three more ships are due. Though not as kid-pleasingly outrageous as its predecessor (the hero of I Stink! offers an amusing litany of the icky items he gobbles up), this tale introduces an equally likable and enthusiastic voice. Jim McMullan's fresh, funny art portrays the personified tug sporting a baseball cap, his eyes fashioned from the front windows and his beaming mouth set into the bow. With its copious sound effects and type set in various sizes and configurations, this tale makes for one jaunty journey. Kids will happily climb aboard. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThe mighty team who created the garbage-truck tribute I Stink! come back with another scrappy salute, this time honoring a can-do hero who does his job in the water. With strong-hearted illustrations of a little tugboat guiding bigger ships around the harbor, the McMullans' muscular picture book has the powerful worker exclaiming, "When the big ships get to the harbor, they need ME! 'Cause I'm mighty! And I can nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull 'em in." Readers quickly find out that this quick-thinking, feisty dude can take on any ship afloat, such as "a six-decker doozie" ("Think she's too big for me? Think again!") and "the Queen Justine, a super-duper cruiser" that gets safely tugged into Pier 92 ("This one's for YOU! Docked, yer majesty!"). Of course, tugging can make a working boat mighty tired, too, so after a long day and a gear check, it's "Back to the barn," where he's "Got to get some shut-eye. 'Cause three REALLY BIG ships are coming in the morning." With a small yet titanic hero who shows no fear and keeps the energy always running at full throttle, this robust read will surely sail its way into kids' hearts. Matt Warner
Publishers Weekly
In this husband-and-wife team's saucy follow-up to I Stink! (narrated by a city garbage truck) another feisty fellow-a tugboat in a bustling harbor-immediately draws readers into his world, bellowing, "Hey! Over here! Yeah, me, the little guy." The brassy tug explains that ships entering the harbor need him, " 'Cause I'm mighty! And I can nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull 'em in." He cheerfully chats with the various vessels he services, calling each by name: "Yo, Moby Dee! Your ride's here!" he yells to "a low-riding tanker with a belly full of oil." A cutaway view shows the hero steering Moby clear of shallow waters. After helping a freighter loaded with cars ("a six-decker doozie") and a "super-duper" cruise ship safely to their docks, the tug announces, "I'm all tuggered out" and turns in for some shut-eye before the morning, when three more ships are due. Though not as kid-pleasingly outrageous as its predecessor (the hero of I Stink! offers an amusing litany of the icky items he gobbles up), this tale introduces an equally likable and enthusiastic voice. Jim McMullan's fresh, funny art portrays the personified tug sporting a baseball cap, his eyes fashioned from the front windows and his beaming mouth set into the bow. With its copious sound effects and type set in various sizes and configurations, this tale makes for one jaunty journey. Kids will happily climb aboard. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
With a personality like the Little Engine That Could, a tenacious tugboat shows us its stuff as it scurries from one major hauling job to the next. Events come to life in an explosion of color and creativity as the smiling, wide-eyed boat in a baseball cap relays his story to the world. The tone is casual and conversational, freewheeling and direct. Words spill freely across the pages, as if they've tucked themselves in wherever they could find room. The wording compliments the artwork, yet there's no denying that the art stands out as the main strength of the book. Even the endpapers are impressive; a purple and green checkerboard of images is carried over to the inside book flaps. In a whimsical note on the back of the book, I Stink, the garbage truck from a previous book, provides an accolade for this new tale. Throughout, as the tugboat pulls its weight from left to right, the young reader has the chance to follow along on his or her own; there is a subtle reinforcement of left-to-right progression as the boat and the words stream along in the same direction. 2003, Joanna Cotler Books/Harper Collins, Ages 4 to 8.— Susan Schott Karr