Little Toot on the Thames by Hardie Gramatky.
Title: Little Toot on the Thames.
Author: Hardie Gramatky.
Artist: Hardie Gramatky.
Genre: Fiction, children's lit, picture books, travel.
Country: U.S.
Language: Fiction.
Publication Date: 1964.
Summary: When Little Toot becomes lost on London's Thames River, he experiences many adventures, and eventually becomes a hero.
My rating: 8.5/10.
My review:
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But alas! Poor Little Toot! He didn't know much about towing. All the while he thought he was towing the tramp steamer the tramp steamer was towing him.
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It was a Thames River barge, a rare vessel, but one he had heard about many times.
With a voice like a foghorn, the old barge said, "Use your hooter in the fog, or you may find yourself in a muddle!"
Little Toot did not know what a "hooter" was. Then he remembered he wasn't at home. A hooter must be a horn.
"If you want to go back to your home," the old barge told him, "you'll have to go see the queen. She can help you get home."
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Before he knew what was happening, he was entirely surrounded by monsters, their long arms reaching skyward. Some were loading cargo from barges into freighters and some were unloading cargo from freighters into barges. It was a busy place. And all the while a tough gang of tugs pushed and shoved their way into the confusion. They paid no attention to a greenhorn like Little Toot.
He wasn't wanted there. And Little Toot saw a good reason why. A brilliant red barge flying a danger flag was being loaded with explosive. It was enough to frighten anyone.
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Little Toot knew he was heading in the right direction, because it was beginning to be a beautiful world. Soon he must look for the queen.
Tooting past a castle on his right, he felt bolder and more himself again.
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Then came the Horse Guards. And then a golden coach! Wide-eyed in amazement, Little Toot bounced cheerfully along. It was like being in a real-life fairy tale.
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But Little Toot was sure he was welcome.
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No one thought to tell Little Toot he was in the way. Instead, the happy little tug went right on circling about, until without thinking he had formed a large figure 8 in the river.
To make things even worse, he was followed by a group of swans.
And the figure 8 took up most of the river. There was no room at all for the racing boats to pass.
Boats and swans and crewmen all wound up in a hullabaloo.
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He only wished he could go home. He longed to be home again. Now it was too late for anything, and there was no one to whom he could turn.
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Now, picking his way among barges and lighters, Little Toot towed and steered carefully. He was careful, too, not to awaken the tough old tugs. No telling what they would do if aroused.
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Through the long night he stood guard over the sunken barge. The small red light on his portside blinked on and off like a channel marker, keeping ships at a distance.
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Leading the flotilla was none other than the Royal Barge.
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Then Little Toot got his wish to go home. And true to the prediction of the old Thames River barge, it was the "queen" who helped him.
For the good ship Queen Elizabeth herself escorted him all the way.