The Trippertrots and the Toy Ship

Three children — Mary, Tommy, and Johnny — play together in their nursery. Mary tends to her doll, Johnny pretends to be a street organ grinder with an imaginary monkey, and Tommy sails his toy ship in imagination across distant lands. When a warm summer rain begins to fall despite the nearness of Christmas, Tommy gets the idea of floating his ship on the rain-pooled porch roof just outside the nursery window. The wind catches the vessel and sweeps it off the roof edge into the street gutter below, where it sails rapidly away carried by the rushing rainwater. Without properly informing any adult, the three children pull on rubber boots and raincoats, take up umbrellas, and dash out of the house in pursuit of the runaway ship. They chase it through street after street, splashing through puddles as the vessel stays persistently ahead of them. Eventually the ship strikes a stone in the gutter and stops long enough for Tommy to retrieve it. Only then does Mary look around and realize none of them recognizes their surroundings. They are thoroughly lost. Before panic can fully set in, a cheerful old sailor with a wooden leg emerges from behind a nearby tree. He sings them a jovial song about sailing the ocean blue and returning safely home, then laughs heartily when the children explain how they came to be lost in the rain chasing a toy ship. He offers to escort them all home, and they follow him gladly, cheered by his good humor and the rhythmic clomping of his wooden leg on the wet pavement.

By Howard R. Garis · First published 1912 · Genre: Children's Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy · 2,444 words

First lines

Up in the nursery of their house the three little Trippertrots were having a good time. Mary was playing with her doll that the kind man had bought for her, and Tommy was playing with his toy ship, and Johnny was playing with his music-box, making believe he was a hand-organ man. Only, of course, he didn't have any monkey, except a make-believe one.

"Now come on," said Johnny, as he played a funny tune called: "If It Should Snow or Hail or Rain, Just Get Aboard the Choo-Choo Train. " Yes, Johnny played that tune, and then he called out: "Come on, now, Jacko, climb up and get the pennies."

• Open reader

Genres

• Children's Fiction — The book is part of the Trippertrots series by Howard R. Garis, written primarily for young readers with age-appropriate language and adventure themes.
• Adventure — The plot centers on a toy ship adventure, suggesting exploration and exciting journeys that are central to adventure narratives.
• Fantasy — A toy ship that appears to be sentient or magical enough to warrant a full adventure suggests fantastical elements beyond realistic scenarios.
• Imaginative Fiction — The story relies on imaginative play with toys coming to life, which is characteristic of imaginative children's fiction.

Tags

children's literature · juvenile fiction · fantasy · adventure · talking animals · animal characters · family life · siblings · friendship · imagination · playtime · toys

What this Textopian page supports

The Trippertrots and the Toy Ship is listed on Textopian as a short story by Howard R. Garis, dated 1912 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Short story
• Author: Howard R. Garis
• Date: 1912 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Children's Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Imaginative Fiction, Juvenile Adventure
• Length: 2,444 words
• Structure: 1 section, 64 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Trippertrots and the Toy Ship by Howard R. Garis
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Howard R. Garis

• The Second Adventures of Uncle Wiggily (1914)
• Uncle Wiggily on the Farm (1903)
• Uncle Wiggily's Silk Hat (1923)
• Uncle Wiggily's Fishing Trip (1902)
• Uncle Wiggily's Rolling Hoop (1918)
• Uncle Wiggily and Baby Bunty (1918)
• Uncle Wiggily and Bunty's Skates (1902)
• Uncle Wiggily and Bunty's Ride (1918)
• All works by Howard R. Garis