Harbor Hugs: Little Tug by Stephen Savage

HE'S NOT THE BIGGEST BOAT IN THE HARBOR.

Stephen Savages's Little Tug (Roaring Brook, 2012) is eerily similar, in storyline and in graphic style, to the well-known classic, Gramatsky's Little Toot. If Little Toot is like the eager preteen tug showing off his newly mastered skills, Little Tug is his endearing little beginner brother who is ready and willing to help out when he can, guiding the tall sailing ship through the drawbridge, leading the big ocean liner to its narrow berth at the docks, and nudging the no-longer fast speedboat to safety out of the channel.

But Little Tug is little, and like all youngsters, when darkness comes, he needs a cozy coverlet, a sail provided by the sailboat, a gentle lullaby provided by the speedster's repaired engine, and a hug from the ocean liner to lull him to sleep. With its irresistible retro illustrations of a big city harbor, dandily done up in strong primary and secondary colors, for those little reader-listeners who are not quite ready for Little Toot's lengthier narrative, Little Tug is the tugboat de jour for a nighty-night tugboat tale.