Little Scoot

by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Edson Ike (Illustrator)

Overview

A tiny tugboat overcomes her fears of a turbulent storm to save a stranded barge in this timeless tale of persistence.

When faced with a tough challenge, Little Scoot only tries harder. Sent into a gathering storm to rescue a barge that's run aground, Little Scoot is tempted to turn around. But though she's scared of the squall, she perseveres through thunder, lightning, blustery winds, and swamping waves, reminding herself "Little Scoot never quits!" This triumphant tale is a testimony to the power of determination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635923001
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Kai Dotlich is the author of many children's poetry and picture books, including Race Car Count; One Day, The End.; and The Knowing Book. Her books have won various honors, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award and the Golden Kite Honor Award.

Edson Ikê is an illustrator and graphic designer, who creates illustrations for books, newspapers, magazines, and posters. Woodcutting is the aesthetic basis of his work. The Smith & Lens art gallery in Mississippi, U.S., exhibited his prints in 2016. Soccerverse was his first book to be published in the United States. Visit ensaiografico.com.br.

Editorial Reviews

"In this short, unembellished tale of conquering one’s fear, Dotlich’s comfortable rhyme schemes are creative...(a) satisfying ending... may facilitate general discussions with young elementary readers about overcoming worries. The bold geometric design of the storm waves and determined tugboat will delight." —School Library Journal

"To the burgeoning shelf of small-but-mighty-vehicle stories, add this one starring plucky tugboat Little Scoot. Page-turns are used effectively to add drama and suspense. Ikê’s digital illustrations capture the watery setting and the growing danger from the storm as well as Little Scoot’s changing emotions." —The Horn Book

​“Little Scoot is a windy, wavy, rhymey story of someone little doing something big. Readers of all ages will want to straighten their stacks in her wake!” —Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the Caldecott Honor winner All the World

“Lucky the child who gets to share an adventure with Little Scoot! Rebecca Kai Dotlich gives her young audience an exciting adventure and a gentle lesson that scary things can be overcome with determination and a lot of heart.” —Alice Schertle, author of Little Blue Truck

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

K-Gr 2—This allegorical story of a small tugboat braving scary, stormy seas on its journey to rescue a trapped ship is not the 1939 adventures of Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky. Instead of a stuck ocean liner, it's a big barge that is stuck and which Little Scoot (not Little Toot) aids and then tugs to safety. In this short, unembellished tale of conquering one's fear, Dotlich's comfortable rhyme schemes are creative though repetitive, with a predictable yet satisfying ending that may facilitate general discussions with young elementary readers about overcoming worries. The spatial placement of the text mimics wave-like motions, but the very segmentation of the lines will confound emerging readers of an age to appreciate Little Scoot's simple victory. At times, the textual features change size and style to further emphasize the story's tone, but a young audience just learning left-to-right progression may have difficulty reading through the design scheme. A primary color scheme dominates each spread, with masses of periwinkle blue growing darker as the tugboat traverses into the turbulent waves. VERDICT The bold geometric design of the storm waves and determined tugboat will delight, although readability may be an issue for newer readers. Purchase for collections not already owning Gramatky's tale in its dozens of formats.—Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.

School Library Journal

2021-02-09
Neither waves nor rain stays this stalwart tugboat from her duties.

The skies are cloudy when Little Scoot receives word that Big Barge has gotten stuck and needs her help. Wary of the weather, she nonetheless toots and scoots toward the ship and into the approaching storm. Though battered by waves and blown by the wind, she is nonetheless able at last to reach Big Barge. It takes all her strength, but soon she’s pulled him “out of sand, out of muck,” and to the harbor. Similar in name to Hardie Gramatky’s Little Toot and having the same job, Little Scoot, alas, lacks much of the charm of her predecessor. Anemic rhymes discuss the “stormiest storms” and “windy winds” while the story covers ground well trod by another classic, The Little Engine That Could, long ago. Little Scoot’s unsubtly cartoony face seems oddly matched with the sometimes lovely backgrounds and set scenes. There are times too when the text is at outright odds with the art, as when readers are told that Little Scoot offers Big Barge a whistle of goodbye only to see her clearly yelling it out in the accompanying picture. Young harbor fans will find little worth tooting about in this book even if they haven’t seen it all before. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 25.9% of actual size.)

Scoot on by. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews