TOUGH TUG + Trailer
Rob McClurkan, children's book author illustrator and friend, recently published a book with Margaret Read McDonald called TOUGH TUG. My son and I really liked it a lot. Then I saw that Rob shared a book trailer created for the story and that made our house even more excited to read it again at bedtime.
Watch and enjoy!
TRAILER:
DESCRIPTION:
Tough Tug is a brand-new boat. He likes to swirl and twirl—and run and race. He wants everyone to see what he can do. But when he sails to Alaska for the first time, he finds out what being a tug really means…
REVIEW:
Tough Tug is a spirited young tugboat who's just getting the hang of all he can do in and around the port. Picture a 3-year-old jubilantly running around in a new, unexplored place, swerving this way and that, jutting all about as she explores the space on her own two feet. Tug does all of this merrily (much to the chagrin of the other tugboats) and is eager to show what he can do with his first assignment. Accompanying another older tug, Tough Tug soon faces rough waters and a threatening storm. And what's worse... Tug notices the distress signal of his mentor off in the distance and must decide what to do. The story's pared down story is embellished with pairs of words capturing Tough Tug's restless movement . SWISH and SWOOSH! TUG and PULL! SWERVE and SWIRL! And all of these words help contrast Tough Tug from the older tugboats. We all really loved Rob's mustachioed older tugboats (especially the one with the great big walrus mustache) and there was something about the way that Rob brought these boats to life that felt different from other books with anthropomorphized boats. And, quite frankly, felt exactly right in that way that I can see my kids drawing boats with eyes and mustaches just like this in the future. The book conclude with a note that the story was inspired by a real event! And one quick google search will send you down a rabbit whole of heroic tugboat crews making headlines. Very cool!
TOUGH TUG is out now from Two Lions.
(And the hardcover is currently on sale at Amazon for only $6.99!)
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