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Summary: Can Mike Mulligan & Mary Anne dig a cellar in just one day?
Review: In the 19th-century it was the story of John Henry the steel-driving man who lost a race to a machine. In the 20th-century a slightly different lesson was offered up in Virginia Lee Burton's children's classic "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel." The Steam Shovel in question is named Mary Anne and all you have to do is see the glint in her eye and the smile on her "lips" to know that she is special. Unfortunately, there are new gasoline shovels and new electric shovels and even shovels with diesel motors, and there is little left for an old steam shovel to do. ... The illustrations from this 1939 classic are charming and quaint, but that is the nature of this tale and even in the 21st-century where atomic shovels may be around the corner, there is still a valuable lesson to be learned from "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" about how doing a job well means you will always find a place in the world.
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Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: They just don't make 'em like they used to!A couple of years ago, my parents inquired as to what sort of books they could purchase for my children. "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" was at the top of the list. This book takes a child back to when steam engines were the power literally running the country -- and that the march of progress is not without its pain. It is an exciting book, well and colorfully illustrated with a wonderful "twist" at the end -- in which a small boy is proven to be brighter than all the adults in town -- because of his childlike perspective. The politically correct will no doubt object to Mike Mulligan's pipe -- but I certainly don't! (Nor do my children!) If you have children or grandchildren who have not been introduced to this book, buy it today!
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Summary: A Classic - Must Have for Any Childrens Library
Review: Wonderful! Educational! I Read it as a child, now I read it to my child and she loves it!
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Summary: Wonderful Classic with a very positive message!
Review: When I was a little girl this was one of my favorite childrens books and I checked it out of the library a lot and like another classic childerns book called The Little Engine That Could this book has a great message of never giving up, and also not judging someone or something by thinking they are no good because they are old and you think they are useless or like the other book you think someone is useless because they are small and you think they are not strong enough, so in essence the old saying don't judge a book by it's cover comes to mind here. I very highly recommend this book!
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Summary: Discouraging no one cares about rigid gender roles
Review: It's discouraging to me that no one even mentions the extremely rigid gender roles in this book (straight out of the early 1950s). All the fireMEN are MEN, all the policeMEN are MEN, there is no gender neutral language, and worse, all the girls and women are in totally old fashioned roles...
I can't stand it, and the book isn't that great anyway..
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Summary: A Story That is Beautifully Told and Wonderfully Illustrated
Review: My 7 year old son introduced me to this book; I'll bet we have read it together at least 30 times in the 6 months we have had it. Ben likes the part when they invented the gas, electric and diesel motor shovels. I can really see the story stretching his young imagination as he compares the new shovels with the old. This story has themes about hard work, perseverence, loyalty, initiative, all told in a very gentle way. My son and I have especially enjoyed reading this book at bed time on a cold winter night. There is something about the story that warms the heart. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is the type of book that makes you want to say "they don't write childrens' stories like this anymore." A classic in every sense of the word.
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Summary: Adaptable to any age!!!
Review: In a world that is constantly changing and growing technologically, the story of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Maryann, is a lesson for everyone to learn from. This book is not only symbolic of the industrial revolution that went on in America's history and the dilemmas that were caused because of it, but it also tells a story about teamwork, faith, work ethic, and trust. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is a story about a man and his steam shovel. It starts off in the prime of their working careers and shows how they were the top-notch "diggers" that everyone counted on to do all of their digging. The story continues as they get older and all of the new gas and diesel powered steam shovels end up replacing Mike and the trusty Mary Anne in all of the endeavors. In an effort to prove their reliability and Mary Anne's ability to "do the work of 100 men", Mike and Mary Anne end up working hard to physically conquer their problem. Not only physically do they solve problems, but also in their haste they forget some key aspects to solving their challenge. However with the help of people around, they are able to come up with a solution that is beneficial for everyone around the town. The story of Mike and Mary Anne shows children that if you believe in yourself, you are capable of doing anything. It teaches that you should stick with whatever you are faced with and you work hard, you just may come out on top. The story shows that it isn't always the biggest and newest that can complete the job fastest and best, but that even the smallest and "not so new" can work hard and measure up to the expectations put forth by technology and society. The illustrations in this book are great. At first glance they may seem dull to the eye, but the dull color schemes and the sharpness of the crayon illustrations make you focus on the actions within the pictures. The pictures thoroughly correspond to the story and its content, which makes it easier for children to follow along. The dull gray coloring of the pictures is indicative of the nature of the industry, being so cold and harsh, yet some might suggest that the brighter tones that are thrown in a little bit suggest that there is still hope for the underdog. The illustrations clearly depict the mood of the story, and show the different situations that Mike and Mary Anne run into. I found that with each event as the plot thickens, so to speak, the pictures follow along very well keeping the child who can't read attentive to what is going on, and preventing confusion with what is going on in the story. The fact that the steam shovel (Mary Anne,) is portrayed as a female seems to be a welcome part of children's literature that does not follow the stereotypes that are expected in books about "trucks" and "boy stuff." It may be suggested that the author intended on showing a female character to be able to handle the work that is put forth as sort of a statement against stereotypes. The plot of this story, from my experience, is very appealing to children. In the experiences I have with my younger siblings, it is more appealing to boys than girls, due to the "steam shovel" on the cover and in the storyline. The girls that I have suggested reading this story to, have been more attracted to books that were more aimed at the young female group of readers. The theme of this book is both helpful in teaching lessons, and also in challenging the thoughts that are presented each day with the growth of technology in our world. This book helps the children to question whether or not they can set out to do something that is thought to be "impossible" and actually accomplish it, is a tremendous lesson to teach children. The language and style are very appropriate for the audience of children that the author is aimed at in that the word choice is simple enough yet also explanative as well. It does not seem to be oversimplified and still shows all of the lessons in a way that is not oversimplified, yet not too complex either. The flow of this book is excellent and seems to keep the audience of 3-6 year olds attentive and lets them follow along easily enough to understand what is going on, and possibly learn a lesson while being entertained. I would recommend this book for a child of any age. The depth and specificity of the lessons in the story can be adapted to a child of any age. Dependent on the child and their depth of understanding, you can take the story at its face value for younger children, or delve deeper into the symbolism with older children.
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Summary: Great book for us Tom Boys
Review: As a child and even now as an adult I am a die hard Tom Boy. This is the book that along with Toot the tugboat, made me beg my Dad to stop the car so we could watch construction sites. And when driving over the Sierras in California or Cascade mountains in Washington state or Rockies in Montana would squeel with delighy and beg and beg my parents to at least slow down so I could watch the steam shovels and big CATS move massive amounts of earth. And how excited I was when we returned thru the areas, weeks or months later and saw all the progress that had been made. When my parents would read the book to me and later at age six when I could read it myself, I could almost hear the loud sounds as Mike shifted the gears, and see the smoke come out of the exhaust. And smell the dust from each load of earth he moved. Guess this is what also made the book so cool. It made a kids senses come alive. Sometimes I wonder if parents realize that this is what makes a GREAT book. The ability of the author to make the kid hearing/reading the story, feel as if they were Mike. And the fact that the child would "see" "smell" "hear" the story. And I am so happy that it is now my grandchildren who LOVE this classic.
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Summary: Amazing!
Review: I haven't yet had the opportunity to get my hands on the 60th Anniversery copy yet, but "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" has always been one of my favorites. I'm 18 years old now, and studying to be an elementary teacher, but I remember the two questions I had about the story when I was 5 years old, 1. How did Mike go to the bathroom when he was digging and 2. How did Mike and his Steam Shovel get out when they finished digging? Maybe when you read the story you'll figure it out - I still haven't :o)!
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Summary: 60th Anniversary Edition? That pretty much sums it up.
Review: I'm a middle-aged man, yet this wonderful book was already a quarter-century old when I was introduced to it by Captain Kangaroo. It epitomizes the concept of timelessness in children's literature. I've read it to my children; I hope to read it to my grandchildren some day.
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