The Brave Little Toaster (novel) facts for kids
The novel cover of Thomas M. Disch's The Brave Little Toaster
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| Author | Thomas M. Disch |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | 15 August 1980 |
The Brave Little Toaster is a fun adventure novel written by Thomas M. Disch in 1980. It's a story for kids, or as the author joked, "a bedtime story for small appliances." The book is about five brave household appliances. They are a lamp, an electric blanket, a radio alarm clock, a vacuum cleaner, and a toaster. These five friends go on an exciting journey to find their first owner, who they call "the Master."
Contents
The Appliances' Adventure Begins
The story starts with five small home appliances living in a quiet cottage. They are a Hoover vacuum cleaner, a plastic AM radio, a yellow electric blanket, a Tensor lamp, and a Sunbeam toaster. Each appliance has its own special personality. The Hoover vacuum is the oldest and very reliable. The electric blanket is cheerful, and the toaster is bright and hopeful. The lamp is a bit worried about itself.
The cottage is next to a huge forest. The appliances are used to their owner, "the Master," using them only part of the year. Other appliances, like the TV and blender, go with the Master to the city every Labor Day.
A Long Wait and a Brave Plan
One spring day, after more than two years without the Master, the appliances start to worry. They think they might have been forgotten. A few months later, the toaster shares an idea. It says, "We need people to take care of, and we need people to take care of us." The toaster tells a story about a lost dog who found its way back to its owner.
The appliances decide to do the same thing. They plan to find their Master, even if he is hundreds of miles away. The Hoover vacuum is strong and can move on its own. But it needs power that isn't from a wall outlet.
But before any of the small appliances who may be listening to this tale should begin to think that they might do the same thing, let them be warned: ELECTRICITY IS VERY DANGEROUS. Never play with old batteries! Never put your plug in a strange socket! And if you are in any doubt about the voltage of the current where you are living, ask a major appliance.
Journey Through the Woods
To travel, they find an old metal office chair. They add caster wheels from a bed and connect an old car battery from a Volkswagen Beetle. This battery powers the Hoover, which pulls the other appliances. They set off into the woods. They avoid the main highway because they must stay perfectly still if humans see them.
Their first afternoon in the woods, they rest in a meadow. A short rainstorm passes. The toaster is surprised when a daisy speaks to it in rhymes. The daisy says it loves the toaster's shiny reflection. The toaster politely leaves the daisy and returns to its friends. The electric blanket then folds itself into a tent to keep everyone dry.
Meeting Squirrels and Facing a River
The next night, the appliances meet two squirrels named Harold and Marjorie. The squirrels and appliances have a funny, awkward chat. The squirrels ask about their "gender," which appliances don't have. They also tell jokes that no one finds funny.
During the night, another storm blows the blanket into a tree. The squirrels help get it down the next morning. To say thank you, the toaster roasts some nuts for them. The blanket plugs into the battery to dry out and warm the squirrels.
After leaving the squirrels, the appliances reach a wide river. The Hoover vacuum gets scared and starts chewing its own cord. The toaster calms it down by making it "vacuum" the grass. They look at a map and realize they are close to the city. They plan to follow the river to a bridge. Then, they will make a quick dash to the city when it's late and quiet.
As they search for a bridge, the office chair overturns. One of its wheels gets stuck in the mud and breaks off.
A Pirate and the City Dump
While looking for the lost wheel, the blanket finds a boat. The Hoover declares they will use it to cross the river. The toaster disagrees, saying it would be like being pirates. It explains that falling into the hands of pirates is a terrible fate for an appliance.
As the toaster argues, the boat's owner returns. He thinks someone is trying to steal his boat and decides to steal the appliances instead. He takes the battery, throws the office chair into the river, and takes the appliances to his home. This home is at the City Dump, which looks like a graveyard for broken appliances.
The pirate checks each appliance and calls them junk, one by one. He keeps only the radio and takes it into his shack. Outside, the other appliances make a plan. The radio plays cheerful songs, like "I Whistle a Happy Tune," which the toaster loves. The toaster thinks the radio is trying to keep them hopeful.
Escaping the Dump and Finding the Master
The appliances find a good baby buggy. They decide to use it to finish their journey. They then pretend to be a ghost. The blanket covers the toaster, which sits on top of the Hoover. The Hoover makes spooky noises to get the pirate to come out. When he looks, the lamp turns on, and the pirate sees his own face in the toaster's shiny side.
The pirate gets very scared. He thinks the ghost knows all the bad things he has done. He runs away in terror. Before he comes back, the appliances escape in the buggy. They are only about a mile from where their Master lives.
At the apartment, their old appliance friends greet them. They learn the Master hasn't returned to the cottage because of his new companion, "the mistress." She gets hay fever, so they now go to the seaside for vacations. The Master plans to sell the cottage and the appliances inside it.
The five brave appliances spend the night at the apartment. A sewing machine fixes the rips in the blanket. The toaster tells everyone about their long journey.
A New Home and Happy Ending
The next afternoon, the five appliances are cleaned up. They listen to a radio show called The Swap Shop. The show announces that the five appliances are available. The Master wants them to stay together because they are special to him. An "elderly, impoverished ballerina" from Center Street is the first to call. She trades five black-and-white kittens for the five appliances.
The mistress is allergic to cat fur, but she decides to take medicine and keep the kittens. The five appliances "lived and worked, happy and fulfilled, serving their dear mistress and enjoying each other's companionship, to the end of their days."
Film Adaptations and Sequels
The novel The Brave Little Toaster has been made into movies. John Lasseter learned about the book and convinced Tom Wilhite to buy the movie rights for Disney in the early 1980s. Lasseter showed Disney executives a short animated clip in 1983. It used traditional animation with computer-made backgrounds. Disney was not interested, and Lasseter was later fired.
In 1987, the novel became a traditionally animated film by Hyperion Pictures. The film has some differences from the book, especially the ending. In the book, the appliances are traded to a ballerina. In the film, they are reunited with their original owner, named "Rob."
Thomas M. Disch also wrote a sequel book called The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars. In this story, the appliances travel to Mars to stop an invasion. This book was also made into a film. There was a third film, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, which takes place between the two books but is not based on a specific novel.
See also
In Spanish: El valiente tostadorcito para niños
