Scuffy the Tugboat

Scuffy the Tugboat is a tale of appreciation in which a red-painted tugboat has the adventure of his life and learns to value the life he has rather than yearning for “bigger things.” When Scuffy expresses displeasure with his toy store existence, the shop owner suggests that perhaps he would be happier if he went sailing. This benevolent shop owner takes Scuffy home and places him in a bath tub to sail. Convinced that he is meant for even bigger things, Scuffy is still not happy, so the shop owner takes him to a brook. Scuffy quickly learns that all water runs to the sea where a small tugboat finds himself quite vulnerable. Luckily, he is rescued just in time to avoid disaster. Gergley’s use of line furnishes this anthropomorphic toy with facial features that complement and extend the text; therefore, at the end of the story, when the he has grown as an individual and matured, his transformation is not only evident in his speech and actions but also in his appearance. At the secondary level, Scuffy the Tugboat could serve as an easily accessible exemplar of dynamic characterization and the characteristics of the hero cycle explained by Peter R. Stillman in Introduction to Myth.

Scuffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton; illus. by Tibor Gergely
Primary Golden Press
28 pp.
Published 1955
ISBN 978-0307160591
$.59

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