I'm Mighty!

by Kate McMullan, Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

Overview

From Kate and Jim McMullan, the popular creators of I Stink! and I’m Dirty!—now a streaming animated series—comes a raucous tribute to a tireless harbor hero. This time a tugboat proves that even the smallest of us can be MIGHTY!

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060092900
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/23/2003
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	350,255
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	AD380L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate McMullan is the author of the easy-to-read books featuring Fluffy, the Classroom Guinea Pig, the middle grade series Dragon Slayers’ Academy, and Myth-o-Mania, the Greek myths as told by Hades. She is also the author of the Geisel Honor Book Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day.

Kate and Jim McMullan have collaborated on many popular picture books, including I'm Brave!; I'm Fast!; I'm Big!; I'm Bad!; I'm Dirty!; and I Stink!, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book. The McMullans live in Sag Harbor, New York.

Jim McMullan is an internationally acclaimed illustrator and poster designer whose work can be seen in The Theater Posters of James McMullan. His most recent book is the illustrated memoir Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood.

Kate and Jim McMullan have collaborated on many popular picture books, including I'm Brave!; I'm Fast!; I'm Big!; I'm Bad!; I'm Dirty!; and I Stink!, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book. The McMullans live in Sag Harbor, New York.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
The 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

bn.com

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.

Publishers Weekly

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 Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

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)

Kirkus Reviews