Tulip the Tugboat - J. Martain - ★★★★.½

-
AUTHOR: J. Martain
ILLUSTRATOR: Irene Silvino
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: November 12, 2024
RATING: 4.5 stars


In a Nutshell: An adorable picture book with a charming eponymous character at the *helm*. Simple but effective prose, an interesting story, great life lessons, and fabulous illustrations. Kids are sure to love Tulip. Much recommended!


Plot Preview:
Tulip is a light-green tugboat who helps big ships navigate their way out to sea. The other tugboats look at Tulip warily for her different appearance, but Tulip knows that she is a good tug and she does her work sincerely and merrily. One day, a big boat gets stuck in the sand at the harbour. Is it finally Tulip’s turn to prove her capability?


I have read many picture books with anthropomorphised modes of transportation, but this is the first time ever I have picked up one with a tugboat in the lead. I didn’t know much about tugs earlier, but as the company my husband currently works with handles multiple tugs on the West coast of India, I have learnt much about these little dynamos and can say one thing with absolute certainty: tugs are underestimated!

In this little story, there are several tugs, but Tulip is the only one who is looked upon oddly because of her different appearance. But as she proves, looks have nothing to do with smartness and talent. It is awesome to see little Tulip take on mighty challenges and come out shining, strictly by using her brain power and gut instinct.

This little picture book comes with several valuable lessons for its little readers on how to not judge anyone by appearance, how to ensure that your mental health isn’t affected by the negative remarks of those around you, how to trust in your brain power and know your own worth, and how to think beyond the box while solving problems.

The text is written in simple prose with repetition and onomatopoeia put to good use. This makes the book a great option for reading aloud to littlies. I appreciate how the book uses repetition for magnifying the scale of the words rather than resorting to grander vocabulary – this is so much easier for young minds to picture. The word-action combo is such that reading can also be accompanied by several physical actions such as nudges and jiggles. I am sure a good adult reading companion would elevate this picture book to an even higher level by generating plenty of chuckles with their actions.

The illustrations are adorable! Tulip has the sweetest look, though I couldn’t figure out why she has greenery atop her “head”. The pages are all ocean-green in colour, perhaps as an ode to our green-coloured titular champ. I love the idea of putting all the graphics in a porthole on one side of the page and all the text in a sailor’s knot on the other side. This makes the pages look very neat and structured. I just wish the cover page had the names of the author and the illustrator in a larger font size.

A special shout-out to the synchronicity between the photos of the author and the illustrator at the end of the book, even though they stay on two separate continents. Love the coordination and teamwork! Yay to human illustrators!

I had loved this author’s novella titled ‘My Alien Life’, a Southern speculative fiction with an unusual storyline. I had always meant to read more of her works. But I never thought my second experience of her writing would be with a children’s picture book! Both the novella and the picture book have earned the same rating, so it goes without saying that I will gladly read anything else this talented indie author has to offer in future.

Much recommended! This sweet picture book would be a great option for homes and schools. The language and writing style make it perfect for little ones between 3-8 years of age. And hey, Tulip is Christmassy in colour, so perhaps Santa would also love to pop her story book into some lucky little stockings. 😉

4.5 stars, delighted to chug-chug-tug the rating upwards wherever applicable!

My thanks to author Jennifer Martain for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Tulip the Tugboat” at my request. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.


Please also check out the ‘Thanks to You’ project on the author’s website. I am not on the right continent to be a part of it, but those in the USA and Canada can definitely find value in this beautiful idea, especially during this Blessed season. More details here:
(Disclaimer: The author didn’t ask me to mention the above promo in this review. I just happened to see it on her website and loved the thought behind it.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology - Edited by L. Stephenson - ★★★.¼

-
Image
  EDITOR: L. Stephenson GENRE: Christmas Horror Anthology PUBLICATION DATE:  December 12, 2024 RATING: 3.3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short-fiction anthology filled with Christmassy horror. Some really good stories here, though I wish there had been more variety in the “source of the evil.” A good option for those who are fed up of saccharine seasonal stories. This is the time of the year when readers are torn between spooky season and Christmas season. Here's a book that combines both. 😉 This indie anthology contains twenty-six stories by twenty-six writers. There’s no editor’s note, but the title and the tagline make the theme clear – it is a “Christmas horror” anthology. The stories are mostly fast-paced, which works well in this genre. After the first few stories, I wondered why a majority of them were using the Christmas tree as the horror device-of-choice. It occurred frequently enough for me to start eyeing every Christmas tree in the stories suspiciously. Only after...
Read More»

The Little Christmas Library - David M. Barnett - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: David M. Barnett GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-oriented contemporary fiction with a strong Christmas spirit and a dash of Christmas magic. Excellent characters and a well-connected narrative linking them all. True to contemporary times in every way. Might get a bit too sugary, but works well for the genre. A fabulous and heartwarming option for the festive season. Plot Preview: When Molly McGinley moves from London to her Northern hometown of Merry-le-Moors, she feels like an utter failure. Ten years in the big city, and all she has to show is a broken relationship and no job. Her widower dad Jack is more than happy to have his daughter home, especially as he is still missing his wife who passed away a decade back. Jack now whiles away his time driving the town’s mobile library and he insists that Molly accompany him on his rounds instead of moping alone at home. As the two take the library bus t...
Read More»

Somebody I Used to Know - Wendy Mitchell - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Wendy Mitchell GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2018 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The memoir of a woman who unexpectedly became the face of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the UK. Ghost-written with the help of a journalist, this book covers her diagnosis, reaction, coping strategies, everyday experiences, and her plans for the future.. The writing is filled with pain and frustration as well as hope. Much recommended. Do note that it might be triggering for Alzheimer’s patients and also caregivers. A reading challenge I am participating in needed a book penned by a ghost-writer. I was very clear that I didn’t want to opt for any celebrity memoir, most of which are sanitised fake versions of their lives. Nor did I want to try fictional novels that straddled the line between pseudonymous and ghost-written. ( The Nancy Drew series, for instance. ) Google led me to Wendy Mitchell’s memoir. One look at this book’s blurb, and I knew I finally found the right option for the...
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis...
Read More»

The Night Counsellor - L.K. Pang - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: L.K. Pang GENRE: Historical Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2024 RATING: 4 stars In a Nutshell: A historical mystery with a mental asylum as the dominant setting. Intriguing characters, creepy vibes, good handling of the two timelines. A great option for readers who enjoy gritty historical narratives. Plot Preview: 1953. Jane Galloway, in a new role as a counsellor, has just been assigned a new patient at The Beaumont, a mental asylum trying to shed its dark tag but not doing a great job of it. This patient, dubbed Patient A, was found wandering naked and covered in blood on the outskirts of Yorkshire. She doesn’t talk or respond in any way to anyone. The mystery gets even darker when Jane learns that this patient is a murder suspect. The hospital staff is firmly opposed to this new method of using conversations as therapy, but Jane is determined to make a difference. Can she help Patient A before it is too late? Is Patient A really guilty of such a heinous crime? The...
Read More»