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Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn, contributing editor, the National Writing for Children Center

NOTE: Linda Gramatky Smith, the daughter of Hardie Gramatky, will be the guest on Book Bites for Kids this Wednesday, LIVE at 2:00 CDT. Listen to the show at www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids or call in during the show at 1-646-716-9239 to ask Linda a question or to make a comment about the book!

Title: Little Toot (The RestoredClassic)
Written by: Hardie Gramatky
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 104 pages (with dust jacket)
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (September 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0399247130
ISBN-13: 978-0399247132

A picture book that’s been in print for over seventy consecutive years and loved by generations of children everywhere has certainly earned the title ‘classic’—and Hardie Gramatky’s book, Little Toot, has most definitely achieved that distinction!

First published in 1939 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Little Toot is about a fun-loving, energetic tugboat who likes to blow smoke balls from his candy-stick smokestack, glide across the water, play thread-the-needle around the piers and cut figure 8’s across the width of the river. And understandably, Little Toot’s antics annoy the other tugboats terribly! In addition, since his father and grandfather have such fine reputations as hardworking tugs, one would think Little Toot would have his mind on hard work too. But no—he would rather play than work. He sees no sense in pulling ships fifty times his size down to the ocean. And in truth, he’s scared of the wild seas that lay outside the channel, beyond where the harbor empties into the ocean!

But one day after an embarrassing encounter with a large, unfriendly tug named J.G. McGillicuddy, Little Toot finds himself the object of teasing when the other tugboats laugh and call him a sissy who only knows how to play. Ashamed and angry, Little Toot starts moping and heads down to his favorite hiding spot alongside the wharf.

But at that moment, he sees his big, fearless father in the lead, along with three other tugs, pulling a huge ocean liner down the channel. He begins to think about the brave, bustling work he sees going on around him. Suddenly an idea bursts over him and he’s inspired to work hard and make his father, Big Toot, proud of him. He will work like the best of them and show them all!

Unfortunately, Little Toot’s lazy reputation is well known, and none of the big ships will heave a towline to him, and the other ships are too busy to pay him any attention. They all think he’s still up to his silly antics. Poor Little Toot! He tries so hard to help and no one will let him. Drooping in spirit, lonesome, miserable and sad, he begins to float aimlessly down the river, letting the tide carry him where it wills.

In his despair, Little Toot fails to notice that a terrible storm has come up—or that he’s floated all the way to the Great Ocean where the waves dash and pound against the rocks with a roar. But that isn’t all! He sees a brilliant, flaming rocket climbing in the black sky, a signal that someone is in trouble and needs help! And when Little Toot looks hard, he sees an ocean liner jammed between two rocks. What will he do? How can a little tug like him help a great ship like that? And all the other tugboats are still way up the river, too far away to see the ocean liner.

He has a brilliant idea. He begins puffing up an ‘SOS’ with smoke balls from his stack so that the other tugs can see and come to help. And way up the river, they see it. SOS! SOS! SOS! They have no idea who is making the signals, but they know it means ‘come quickly.’ And they do!
But unfortunately, the boats can’t make much headway against the fierce, stormy sea. Even old Grandfather Toot is bellowing that he’s never seen such a storm.

Little Toot, even though scared green and tossed to and fro by the angry waves, knows he must do something to help the stuck ocean liner since the other boats are being swept backwards by the force of the seas. Helplessly, the big tugs can only watch what is happening through their binoculars. But Little Toot must take action!

Not wasting his strength fighting against the waves like the other tugs, he uses his playful skill of bouncing from crest to crest, like a bouncing ball, to make his way to the stranded ocean liner. The crew of the great vessel is able to throw a line to Little Toot, who pulls the line tight. He waits for a long moment. Finally when a huge wave sweeps under the liner, lifting it free of the rocks, Little Toot pulls with all his strength—and pulls it free! And, at the insistence of the whole tugboat fleet, he gets to escort the great ocean liner back into the harbor! From that day forward Little Toot is known as the hardworking hero that he is!

About the Author and His Work:
Hardie Gratamky (1907-1979) was a master storyteller who wrote and illustrated fourteen children’s books and won over eighty prizes as a fine artist. He began his art career as an animator for Walt Disney, but later moved to the East Coast to set up his own studio. From this studio, he could see all the boats passing on the East River in New York. One little tugboat that seemed to have a mind of its own and never seemed to be in the right place at the right time caught Gramatky’s eye and was the inspiration behind the book, Little Toot.

The book has been translated into seven languages and with its sequels, has sold more than six million copies worldwide. But in 2007, Putnam re-released a restored version of this delightful story. Linda Gramatky Smith, Hardie Gramatky’s only child and former freelance book editor, had purchased a first edition of Little Toot on Ebay and was amazed at how different and vibrant the colors were in the original book as compared to subsequent editions. After so many reprintings, the colors had faded from the rich blues, reds and yellows into grays and oranges. So she showed it to the folks at Putnam at a meeting that had been previously scheduled to discuss what would’ve been Gramatky’s 100th birthday—April 12, 2007.

Putnam decided to bring the art back to what it once was, and with the company’s access to Gramatky’s original art for Little Toot and the endpapers in the early books, a new edition was born! A new edition of an old beloved classic—certainly a great combination. According to Cecelia Yung, vice president and art director of Putnam and Philomel, the original art was “breathtaking to see. The paint still looks wet and leaps off the page.” And to make this re-release even more special was the fact that Little Toot was the very first picture book that Putnam ever published!

Linda says, “Dad’s life has come full circle, with a new generation of people loving his art and books.” She continues, “My hope is that the next generation will be inspired by the wonderful artist I was so fortunate to call Dad.”

Reviewer’s Note:
Little Toot is probably the very first picture book in my forty-one year old memory. I fondly remember my mother reading to me about the mischievous little tugboat who would rather play than work. And I distinctly remember the illustrations of Little Toot’s father, Big Toot, and Grandfather Toot as well. I think I identified with Little Toot because like most young children, I, too, would rather have fun than clean up my room or do other chores!

But just as Little Toot (and I) learned, there is a time when one must take responsibility and do what must be done! Hardie Gramatky cleverly interwove one of life’s most important lessons among brilliant, yet humorous and engaging, illustrations. The result? A timeless classic with substance.

I have enjoyed reading Little Toot to my own children over the years, and they too have been captivated by the book and the illustrations. As Linda Gramatky Smith hoped, a new generation has been inspired by her father’s art and his delightful story about the fun-loving tugboat named Little Toot!

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Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by various magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can visit Amy at amyoquinn.com or http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.