Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Like the garbage truck in the McMullans' I Stink! (2002), the tugboat that narrates this picture book tells his story with more than a splash of moxie. Strong ink drawings define the harbor setting from a variety of perspectives and show the emotions of the anthropomorphic figures of boats and trucks, while color brightens the scenes and heightens the drama. As the little tugboat heads into the harbor in the morning, he checks his gear and revs his engines. Taking charge of an oil tanker, he guides it through the channel and parks it at the dock. Next up is a six-decker doozie carrying a cargo of automobiles, followed by Queen Justine, a super-duper cruiser, as WIDE as she is long (an absurd statement to make about a ship that is clearly longer than it is wide). Kids aren't likely to worry about that for long, though, when there's so much here to enjoy: the energetic writing, the boastful tug's bravado, and the well-conceived illustrations. Best of all, the big boats need help from the little boat instead of the other way around, making this an appealing nautical version of every preschooler's dream. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Like the train in Watty Piper's The Little Engine That Could (Platt & Munk, 1930), the tugboat in I'm Mighty shows how one small machine can accomplish mighty tasks. The tug, depicted in the manner of early animation seen in Steamboat Willie, with eyes for windows and a bumper mouth, checks his gear, knows what he can do, and tows everything from a low-riding tanker to a "six-decker doozie," steering these behemoths safely to harbor. Text appears in assorted sizes and colors, often escalating to reflect the intensity of the little boat's actions. Young listeners will enjoy repeating many of the words and using them to chime in on the story. Illustrations rendered from the tiny tug's perspective appear to be a combination of paints and inks that boldly reinforce the little worker and his duties. Libraries will want this book for storytime and to motivate beginning readers.-Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) Though the main character doesn't have as much stage presence as I Stink!'s confrontational garbage truck, this companion volume still makes fine use of its predecessor's formula to introduce a scrappy, hard-working tugboat with attitude. ""Say what? I'm too small for the job? Watch this."" Much like a young child, this runt of the harbor often has to prove his worth to the big kids -- in this case, the tankers, ocean liners, and barges he must ""nudge, bump, butt, shove, ram, push, and pull"" to the dock. Once again Kate McMullan lets her motorized protagonist talk directly to readers, with text that flows loosely across the page and fluctuates in size to give the voice extra inflection. In Jim McMullan's robust, blocky illustrations, our boy sports a near-perpetual eager grin across his front bumper and a youthful red baseball cap (perhaps a nod to an obvious ancestor, Little Toot).He looks especially small and insignificant next to the regal Queen Justine cruise ship, with her haughtily pursed lips rising high above his smokestack, but even this ""big mama"" doesn't intimidate him. ""Nothing to it. Pier 92! This one's for YOU! Docked, yer majesty!"" While the book gives a lively overview of what a tugboat does, it never really explains why it does it -- why, for instance, can't these powerful vessels navigate the harbor themselves? But overall the McMullans' latest is ""shipshape and ready to TUG!"" (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's Little Toot, all grown up and on steroids. Along the lines of their celebrated I Stink! (2002), the McMullans give another hardworking machine with a face and a blue-collar personality the chance to toot its horn in gruff, tough language: "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. Here I go." This red-capped tug's not all talk, either, as it shows by bringing in a tanker, a container ship, and finally a mammoth liner ("Think this big mama's got me beat? No way!") under the square, watchful eyes of previously berthed ships. Then, hull dented, bumpers bent, "all tuggered out," it heads for the barn at day's end, already thinking about the next day's workload. Young swabbies will be delighted by this gander at a tug's labor and gear, and likely absorb its pride in a job well done. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
