Mr. Tuggle's Troubles [Hardcover]

Leeann Blankenship (Author), Karen Dugan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Poor Mr. Tuggle is having a bad week. It all begins on Monday, when he can't find his hat, which would have been mighty handy when that pigeon flew over his head. But the missing hat is just the start of Mr. Tuggle's week. From then on, each morning begins with the promise of a new day, and each day brings more trouble to Mr. Tuggle. LeeAnn Blankenship's comic tale features an endearing, Chaplinesque character, brought to life with madcap illustrations by Karen Dugan.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Mr. Tuggle wakes up on a spring day and cannot find his hat in his messy apartment. He goes to work bareheaded, but later regrets his decision when a bird makes a mess in his hair while he eats lunch in the park. Back at the office, he folds and dons a newspaper hat and people stare at his odd attire. Each morning, another piece of clothing goes missing, only to be replaced by a homemade item: instead of shoes, he ties boxes to his feet; he fashions a shirt out of curtains; and he uses a picture from his office as an umbrella. When he sees his reflection in a shop window, he realizes how silly he looks. That evening, he straightens up his home and puts his clothes away so they will be easy to find. On Friday morning, he looks forward to a great day; the final illustration shows him cheerfully heading down the street, unaware that he is not wearing pants. Dugan's watercolor illustrations cleverly play up Mr. Tuggle's silly predicaments, and clean white backdrops keep readers' attention focused on his exploits. The sight of a thin, balding man with a small mustache who seems so fastidious and proper wearing newspapers, boxes, and curtains will elicit lots of laughs.–Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH
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Review

Detailed watercolor illustrations provide humorous views of the main character's unusual clothing replacements as his outfit deteriorates over the course of the week. Mr. Tuggle has an odd sort of quirky charm: He solves his problems in his own way and doesn't even notice all the disapproving looks from other less inventive folk. --Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 28 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590781961
• ISBN-13: 978-1590781968
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,051,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A LESSON TO BE LEARNED IN THIS SMILE PROVOKING STORY, February 6, 2006

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mr. Tuggle's Troubles (Hardcover)

All of us have difficulties from time to time, but Mr. Tuggle is having an especially troublesome week. It began on a Monday, a beautiful spring day, but not for Mr. Tuggle because he cannot find his hat.

Dismissing the idea of even needing a hat, he went off to work. There was more to come - as he sat outside eating his lunch a pigeon dropped a souvenir on his head. "Jumpin' jelly beans!" cried Mr. Tuggle. "I guess I do need a hat."

So, he made a hat out of a newspaper and tied it on with a string.

Tuesday didn't get much better because on that morning he couldn't find his shoes. Youngsters will laugh when they discover what Mr. Tuggle substitutes for shoes, and what he did when he couldn't find his shirt.

Finally, Mr. Tuggle discovers how much easier life is when he simply puts everything away where it belongs so that things are easily found. Maybe youngsters will learn the same lesson in this smile provoking story.

Mr. Tuggle looks a bit like Ed Wynn in Karen Dugan's amusing watercolor illustrations. Cat fanciers will especially enjoy Mr. Tuggle's feline friends.

- Gail Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful modern picture book, July 24, 2007

By 

Erwin Schrodinger (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Tuggle's Troubles (Hardcover)

The story is a hoot in both the words and the pictures. It's a fun story to read to a child or for a child to read to him/herself. Mr. Tuggle is a nice guy, just a little disorganized and forgetful. Can't find a hat, make one. Can't find your shoes? Improvise! It takes poor Mr. Tuggle a full week to realize the error of his ways, even though his fellow commuters in the morning begin to notice the problem on day one. The message is subtle, and is nowhere in the words, but kids will get it just the same (even though Mr. Tuggle himself didn't quite get it...). Lots of laughs here for parents and kids alike. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FUNNY TROUBLES FOR MR. TUGGLE'S, March 2, 2006

By 

J. M. Herman (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Tuggle's Troubles (Hardcover)

The troubles that Mr. Tuggle's is having through the week
are captured with a great sense of humor, with a hidden lesson tucked in. Easy to read and entertaining, my kids loved the story, easily identifying with the "lost" item troubles. The feline friends add to the story, feline lovers will relate.