Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (With CD)
by Virginia Lee Burton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Virginia Lee BurtonBrand: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-18
ISBN: 0618737561
Number of pages: 48
Publisher: Sandpiper
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780618737567
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (With CD)
Book Review: An eternal classic for children (but too complicated for baby's first book).
Summary: 5 Stars
MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL by Virginia Lee Burton is 44 pages long, with a color drawing on each page, apparently made using colored pencils on slightly rough artists' paper. The style of drawing is somewhat like that of famed Chicago artist, Roger Brown, in that landscapes are stylized so that hills occur in a repeating pattern or motif. Virginia Lee Burton's other books actually utilize this style moreso than this book.
A special delight in this book are the various qualities of steam and smoke. These come from ships, steam shovels, trains, chimneys of houses, clouds in the sky, dust from the ground, a fire engine, and tobacco in a pipe.
The story begins like this: "Mike Mulligan had a steam shovel, a beautiful red steam shovel. Her name was May Anne . . . she could dig as much in a day as a hundred men could dig in a week."
Mary Anne is shown digging canals, railroad beds in the mountains, roadbeds in town, airports, and the cellar for a tall skyscraper. Unfortunately, a turning point occurs on page 14, where we see drawings of modern gasoline shovels, electric shovels, and diesel shovel, all bigger and more powerful than Mary Anne. The next page shows Mary Anne and Mike crying and looking depressed, sitting by a fence with graffiti reading, NO STEAM SHOVELS WANTED. The next page discloses Mary Anne at the of a cliff, about to be pushed into a metal scrapyard at the base of the cliff. Then comes another turning point, where Mary Anne adapts to more humble jobs, and she goes to a little village called Popperville to dig the basement for the new town hall. Eighteen glorious pages are devoted to this task. Mary Anne does an excellent job, except for one thing. She is trapped in the cellar and can't get out. A little boy suggests that she can be converted to the building's furnace. Everybody agrees. Mike Mulligan's new job is to be the janitor for the new town hall.
Obviously, this book contains a number of allegories, lessons, or concepts: Pride in work. Obsolescence. Unemployment. Despair. Adaption after being rendered obsolete. Change in job description. And the notion that adults can take seriously suggestions from children. The entire story contains about 1000 words. In 1000 words, this little book contains a number of powerful lessons, all as valid (if not more) as anything found in the Bible. Truly, this is a great book.
One of the reviewers of the "board book" version clearly identifies parts of the book that were removed from the "board book." I have the SOFT COVER version of the book, which I bought new in 1998 (Sandpiper paperback edition). Fortunately, these parts are included in my soft cover version of the book. Therefore, the interested reader can be assured that there do exist commercially available verions of this book that contain the complete story.
Summary of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (With CD)
Since it was first published in 1939, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel has delighted generations of children. Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, have a very important job. They dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for big city skyscrapers? the very symbol of modern industrial America. But with progress comes new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in a day as a hundred men can dig in a week, and the two have one last chance to prove it and save Mary Anne from the scrap heap. What happens next in the small town of Popperville is a testament to their friendship, as well as old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity.
This Read-Along Book and CD Favorite includes a paperback edition of the book and a compact disc in a newly designed reusable package.
This Read-Along Book and CD Favorite includes a paperback edition of the book and a compact disc in a newly designed reusable package.
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne make quite a team. The inseparable duo digs the great canals for the big boats to travel through, cuts through the large mountains so trains can pass, and hollows out the deep cellars for the great skyscrapers in the city. But the introduction of gasoline, electric, and diesel shovels means big trouble for Mike and Mary Anne. No one wants an old-fashioned steam shovel like Mary Anne when a modern shovel can do the digging in half the time! Forced to travel far out of the city to look for work, Mike and Mary Anne find themselves in the little town of Popperville. Mike and Mary Anne make a bid to dig the cellar for the new town hall, promising the town that if they can't dig the cellar in just one day they'll accept no payment for the job. Will Mike and Mary Anne be able to complete the job? The whole town of Popperville turns out to watch. Virginia Lee Burton, author of such classic children's books as The Little House and Katy and the Big Snow, offers a touching portrait of love and dedication while commenting on the modernization that continuously shapes our lives. Hamilton's wonderful crayon drawings bring Mike and the indomitable Mary Anne to life. (Ages 3 to 6)
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