The Tugboat and the Silver Moon

by Kersten Hamilton, Barry Gott (Illustrator)

Overview

A timeless picture book from the creator of the Red Truck and Friends series about a ship stuck in a canal and the moon that set it free.

The silver moon sails through the vast blue sky as a cargo ship down below is stuck in a canal. The tugboat tugs until the line goes taut. The diggers scoop up enough sand for a castle. The dredger glugs all the silt he can. But it's no use. For seven long days, the moon watches as the ship stays put, becoming fuller, brighter, closer, until she's finally strong enough to pull the ocean into a mighty tide and save the ship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593528396
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/09/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.88(w) x 9.31(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kersten Hamilton is the author of over twenty-five books. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit her at KerstenHamilton.com.

Barry Gott has been drawing his entire life. His first book was illustrated on the backs of paint can labels from his dad's paint factory and dictated to his mom, since he'd only mastered writing the letters A through C. He's been creating children's books, humorous greeting cards, and various other art in his attic studio in Cleveland, Ohio, ever since.

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2024

When strong winds cause a cargo ship to get stuck sideways in a canal, neither protagonist Tug nor hardworking dredgers and diggers can get her free. But the silver moon’s “dance with the earth and the sun raised the tides that help ships,” and her orbit eventually moves her into a position where she’s “the fullest and closest and strongest she could possibly be,” Hamilton writes. Now a supermoon, “she pulled the sea up in a mighty tide. A KING TIDE!” that propels the cargo ship out of the sand. Gott’s digitally rendered illustrations present a fully anthropomorphized toylike world: puffy-cheeked clouds create the wind, the poor cargo ship sheds anxious tears (“Ships float. That’s what we’re supposed to do”), and the moon is concerned but confident—the very picture of a benevolent force. An afterword explains the science behind the story. Ages 3–7. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Inspired by the true story of the Ever Given, which in 2021 became stuck in the Suez Canal, the narrative is related in a breathtaking manner that will leave readers on the edge of their seats . . . A dynamic rescue tale laced with an age-appropriate science lesson." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-05-04
A massive cargo ship is unable to free herself without help from the moon.

Tug the Tugboat notices that his friend the moon looks quite small. “I only look little because I am not yet close,” the moon explains. “It’s all part of my dance.” Tug loves the moon’s dance—it brings in the tides that allow boats to sail. Unfortunately, when the cargo ship becomes wedged in the sand and silt, the moon is still too far off to intervene. Tug attempts to help, as do three diggers and a dredger, but it’s impossible to budge the vessel from the canal. The ship is held fast for seven days until the moon reaches her largest size. Now that she’s “the fullest and closest and strongest she could possibly be,” she uses her gravitational pull to create a massive wave that lifts the ship up—with some assistance from Tug and company. The backmatter is essential to understanding what happens to the ship; it clearly explains concepts such as tides and gravitational pull. Inspired by the true story of the Ever Given, which in 2021 became stuck in the Suez Canal, the narrative is related in a breathtaking manner that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Action-filled digital artwork featuring charmingly anthropomorphized characters effectively supports the text.

A dynamic rescue tale laced with an age-appropriate science lesson. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews