The tugboat and the silver moon

When strong winds cause a cargo ship to get stuck sideways in a canal, neither protagonist Tug nor hardworking dredgers and diggers can get her free. But the silver moon's "dance with the earth and the sun raised the tides that help ships," and her orbit eventually moves her into a position where she's "the fullest and closest and strongest she could possibly be," Hamilton writes. Now a supermoon, "she pulled the sea up in a mighty tide. A KING TIDE!" that propels the cargo ship out of the sand. Gott's digitally rendered illustrations present a fully anthropomorphized toylike world: puffy-cheeked clouds create the wind, the poor cargo ship sheds anxious tears ("Ships float. That's what we're supposed to do"), and the moon is concerned but confident--the very picture of a benevolent force. An afterword explains the science behind the story. Ages 3--7. (July)

A massive cargo ship is unable to free herself without help from the moon. Tug the Tugboat notices that his friend the moon looks quite small. "I only look little because I am not yet close," the moon explains. "It's all part of my dance." Tug loves the moon's dance--it brings in the tides that allow boats to sail. Unfortunately, when the cargo ship becomes wedged in the sand and silt, the moon is still too far off to intervene. Tug attempts to help, as do three diggers and a dredger, but it's impossible to budge the vessel from the canal. The ship is held fast for seven days until the moon reaches her largest size. Now that she's "the fullest and closest and strongest she could possibly be," she uses her gravitational pull to create a massive wave that lifts the ship up--with some assistance from Tug and company. The backmatter is essential to understanding what happens to the ship; it clearly explains concepts such as tides and gravitational pull. Inspired by the true story of the Ever Given, which in 2021 became stuck in the Suez Canal, the narrative is related in a breathtaking manner that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Action-filled digital artwork featuring charmingly anthropomorphized characters effectively supports the text. A dynamic rescue tale laced with an age-appropriate science lesson. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.