Little Toot

Little Toot

by Hardie Gramatky

Little Toot the tugboat conquers his fear of rough seas when he single-handedly rescues an ocean liner during a storm.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Transport, 1st Grade, Adventure

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Bernhard August "Hardie" Gramatky, Jr. was an American painter, author, and illustrator. In a 2006 article in Watercolor Magazine, Andrew Wyeth named him as one of America's 20 greatest watercolorists. He wrote and illustrated several children's books, most notably Little Toot.

Hardie Gramatky was born in Dallas, Texas, the second of three sons born to Bernhard Gramatky and Blanche Gunner Gramatky. Ten years later, following the death of his father, his mother moved the family to the Wilmar – South San Gabriel area, a then semi-rural suburb a few miles east of Los Angeles. Gramatky attended local schools in Wilmar, and then Alhambra High School in nearby Alhambra. Displaying a precocious artistic talent, he began submitting his sketches to a "young folks section" published in the Los Angeles Times, and by the early 1920s had earned a reputation as the section's leading artist.

Reviews

[Linda Gramatky Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, of course I love Little Toot because he's been part of my life since I was born! My dad wrote and illustrated it, and in 2007, I was part of getting Putnam to publish this beautiful, vibrant restored edition with the original endpapers and some rescanned or new artwork from the first edition (1939). I love the enthusiasm that readers have for Dad's original watercolors. It's fun to see that others love this mischievous little tugboat too.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful classic. Opened up an opportunity to talk with my 7 and 4 year olds about what we can do when we set our minds to something and apply ourselves. They were so happy for Little Toot at the end!

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesterday marked my reacquaintance with "Little Toot", a story I first read decades ago as a child. It's a wonderful, heartwarming story - complete with colorful illustrations - of a little tugboat long used to frolicking on the river among the other, bigger, oceangoing tugboats, who finds himself put to the test one night and discovers much more about himself than he had thought possible.

[Jessica B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is written extremely well. The title though 😂

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Toot doesn't like to work. Frolicking along the harbor is way more pleasurable. But then something happens and he learns a valuable lesson about working hard and building a good reputation after messing up.

A good, solid classic to read with your children. It is long, 86 pages, so will take roughly 20-30 minutes to read.

Ages: 5 - 8

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[Greg Strandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my son at the library today and it was really good. Little Toot has big waters to fill, with this granddad, an old river tug, and his dad, Big Toot. The drawings are really good and it's nice to see an author able to do something so good, in it's own way.

Certainly a good story well worth reading.

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

55/1001 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun and happy little book that is absolutely perfect for little kids.

[Gigli · Rating 5 out of 5]

»»» A compra:
Ficou na minha lista pessoal numa vista geral pela amazon, onde me cativou pela adorável capa. Comprei mais tarde nuns saldos da wook, onde o descobri com surpresa (edição norte-americana).

»»» A aventura:
Um pequeno rebocador de barcos, chamado de “little toot” (pequena apitadela) porque, por mais que se esforce, o som da sua buzina sai sempre baixo, tenta mostrar que está à altura do nome da família como rebocador, já que o pai é o melhor rebocador e o avô é uma lenda na profissão.
Ele tem medo do alto-mar e por isso passa os dias a treinar descontraidamente no rio junto ao porto, irritando os outros rebocadores que estão a trabalhar e que acham que ele só quer brincar.
Num dia que lhe está a correr mal o pequeno rebocador aproxima-se, sem dar conta, do alto-mar e é aí que ouve um som ribombante que nunca ouvira… é um enorme paquete em perigo, rodeado de uma turbulenta tempestade e preso entre rochedos que serão mortais.
Só “little toot” pode fazer algo para o salvar a tempo, será que conseguirá?

»»» Sentimento final:
Maravilhoso. Muito bom mesmo.
Calhou-me a edição do 80.º aniversário desta obra e percebe-se porquê, a história é enternecedora e ao mesmo tempo inspiradora, mesmo nos dias de hoje. Um conto intemporal de força interior e de coragem perante obstáculos, bem como do poder da família e da comunidade.
Uma história para todas as idades.
É uma pena que nunca tenha tido edição portuguesa.

»»» Nota final (capa e outras considerações):
--- [Capa] – Das melhores capas que a obra teve, espelha bem a doçura do que vai dentro do livro.
--- [Desenho] – O desenho está perfeito para a história, literalmente conseguimos acompanhar a história do pequeno rebocador como se de uma pequena criança se tratasse e sentir todas as suas alegrias a aflições. As formas da água estão fantásticas.
--- [Tamanho] – É um livro pequeno no tamanho geral, que é adequado ao pequeno rebocador, e no número de páginas, que, não obstante, nos deixa plenamente satisfeitos.

»»» Uma espreitadela:

[Haines Eason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much a boy's book with not a female character in sight - thus my 4/5 star rating. (Note: I acknowledge I am critiquing another era by today's standards when noting a lack of gender diversity, but I am more at ease doing so given this is a critique of a book for children and their development is in play.) This book sails high for me on its lovely, emotive artwork and the strength of its central character, an individualistic and obstinate little tug who is unsure whether he cares to aspire to greatness in the ranks of his family and who nonetheless rises to the occasion when duty calls.

[Cristina Quattrone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be read in a Transatlantic radio accent for full effect

[Lightwhisper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age children’s story. Sweet drawings. A classic.

[Elizabeth Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

As classic as THE ODYSSEY. Pretty much.

[Karah Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Toot was one of the smallest tugboats out there, but he came from a great family of important elder tugboats. Little Toot did not like to tow bigger boats, and would much rather play all day creating figure 8's in the river. One night, he got caught in the middle of a huge storm where others were in danger. Little Toot used his smoke bubbles to create and SOS for others to see far away. Little Toot had saved the day and he was respected from that day forward. This story would be good for a reader who has been reading for a little while because there are a few words that could be difficult to new readers. Also, this book is quite lengthy, so the reader has to be able to follow along well. I liked this book because the lesson was cute.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely a truly older book from the childhood but one that never truly interested me in it. It is interesting to note that so many older books had lessons in them that were sometimes repeated in other reads while I would have to say I got my Little Toot lesson from "Champ: The Gallant Collie", which was geared towards a slightly older audience and had animal suckers (if you don't follow my older reviews then you mustn't know my love affair with the animal kingdom growing up).

The story was pretty decent and had a good idea while I am sure that those who like vehicles may enjoy the story as it is read to them....

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read this since I was in preschool.

Re-read now in 2023 based on a friend's reminiscence of it.

Little Toot is about a youngster learning the family business and needing to do some growing up along the way. He goofs off because he's young and unsupervised. He saves the day because in all of his parallel playing he has learned how to tug and he's small enough to ride the waves to pull the stranded ship into the harbor during the storm.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right up there with Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke loves this book.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only picked this book up because when I was younger one of my favorite Disney films to watch was Melody Time and in the film, there was a musical segment with The Andrews Sisters narrating this story. So naturally, I came to this book already interested and a fan, and I never knew that it was a children's picture book before it was turned into a Disney short subject.

Little Toot (1939) by Hardie Gramtky is a fun story very much in the vein of non-human things having to prove themselves worthy or vital when faced with danger. Little Toot is the laziest tugboat on the river. His dad and grandfather are strong and have a reputation for being great, while Little Toot is useless and lazy, and stupid. When Little Toot is made fun of, like I just did, he goes away and finds himself in the ocean and needing help when a huge ocean liner is in danger.

All in all, this was a fun read. I will say that it is slightly longer than most children's picture books, but still, the illustrations and story brought me back to when I was a kid and I could hear The Andrews Sisters singing in my ear. Fun read and I think it still holds up very well. It's about change that can happen at any time in life. And just because you're little and can't do what others do, doesn't mean that you deserve to be ridiculed, but you have to remember to at least try and do the best you can if you want to be taken seriously. Americana preserved. My rating - 4/5

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad to be able to review "Little Toot." This is THE picture book beloved by both my husband and me. And, yes, we sure did read it to our son.

The writing style is fatherly and truly charming (in contrast to fake-charming).

Hardie Gramatky sets the scene expertly, while his spontaneous-seeming watercolors also invite the reader to feel as if part of the story.

Readers quickly get the sense of how Little Toot was part of an "important family." Quite specifically, we learn that he had no desire to work as a tugboat.

THE NARRATIVE INCLUDES JUST ENOUGH INFO ABOUT LITTLE TOOT'S THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Neither too much, nor too little: Hardie Gramatky clearly knew a great deal about how to get close -- just close enough -- to a very young person.

As for Little Toot's actions to save the day, when the day (or the boat) needs saving? Read that for yourself, Goodreaders. Nobody could have told or shown this better than Hardie.

Note that I shelved this picture book under GROWTH, as well as FICTION and WRITING. When a book for young readers shows a character who grows in some way, that's so important -- and exactly what happened with Little Toot.

Imo, life isn't only what happens. Rather, life is what we make of whatever has happened so far.

[Min · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio selection from Weston Woods with their characteristic musical accompaniment.

The tale of the tugboat was as familiar to me as The Little Enging That Could to inspire, and encourage me when I wasn't able to achieve what i wanted to do.
In this re-listening, I notice how many military references there are. As it was published in 1939, I do wonder if there is a subtext of war within- that the little helper can help Father, and Grandfather.
I had always seen it as more like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer helping in a pinch despite being disrespected.
It is interesting what time does to a children's tale.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this book only vaguely from childhood and ran across it in one of the free library kiosks. I don't think I owned it, so it was probably read to me at my Grandparent's house. Although it's a pretty simple story involving anthropomorphic boats, I was amazed at the advanced vocabulary that is used throughout. I can only figure that kids were better educated at the time to be able to understand the meaning of many of the words used.
I see on goodreads that there are a few sequels, but I just remember this original written in 1939.

[raccoon reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely, despite how old this book is, my six year old was drawn to it. I love when he wants me to read older picture/chapter books because the illustrations and words used are so different and old-timey. Other than a few words we don't use, like "Sissy" we both really liked it. I think he likes stories where a kind of loser character gets their shit together and ends up doing something awesome.
Don't we all. Don't we all.

[Mary Lou]

First, I didn't realize there were 24 editions of this book. I just ordered it online, and got one that had an insignia on the cover that read "80th Anniversary!"
Well, that's all good. But I like reading "originals." And this "80th Anniversary!" version is a "classic abridged edition." Not what I want.

So now we must wait for me to receive my very own, old copy of the 1939 book. And I'll update my review.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old story from 1939 that will still grab children's interest. Great illustrations, although the smoke is now known to be air pollution.
Little Toot did not like the hard work that tugboats have to do, and so he became known for his lack of effort. One stormy day he got swept out into the ocean where he discovered a large ship stuck between rocks. Little Toot knew then that tugboat work is important and he had to do something to help that ship.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic from the canon of children's literature! Written in 1939, it features a small young tugboat in New York Harbor who doesn't want to tug but prefers to play. But when disaster threatens to strike, he steps up and discovers how vital their work is. I love the vintage illustrations and cute message.

[Charity Yost Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toots are hard workers, except for the youngest, who is a dilly-dallier. At first big boats don't take him seriously when he sets out to be more responsible, but then he saves the day and shows all the big guys what he's made of.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can you not adore this vintage little storybook? A little long for my 3.5 year old, but we pulled through. I love reading these old classics to her. The vocabulary is a little dated, but still a strong message to take away.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an quirky story about a little tug boat that doesn't take his responsibilities seriously and prefers to toot little smoke bubbles and be a menace. The book can be enjoyed by both boys and girls even though it only has males in the story.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Toot has a reputation for being lazy and silly. When he tries to change his ways, the other boats assume he’s still unreliable. But when disaster strikes, Little Toot uses his courage and ingenuity to save an ocean liner.