Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel: Story and Pictures (Sandpiper Books)

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Summary: I loved it as a child, my childern love it too.
Review: I couldn't wait until my twins were old enough for Mike. They're now 2 1/2 and love hearing about Mike and Mary Anne. A great story of friendship, taking pride in one's work and problem solving. Never mind the 1939 date, this story works forever. I now get to read it at least twice a day and it never gets old.

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Summary: Nobody can do it like a steam shovel
Review: I tend to bring a lot of picture books into my home. My husband doesn't mind, but neither does he show an inordinate amount of interest in them. Enter "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel". Suddenly my husband was elated by the appearance of this book. "This was the only book we had in my Kindergarten class!", quoth he. After he'd picked through it once more, I had my chance to glance through the story. Admittedly, I did not know of the adventures of Mike Mulligan or trusty Mary Ann until rather late in life. But looking at my hubby's gleeful expression on seeing it again, I know that this is one of those classics that sits in the back of the memory for years and years and years.

Mike Mulligan (Irish, according to the book flap) runs a delightful steam shovel named Mary Ann. The opening spread shows Mike waving at the viewer, while meticulous arrows indicate every lever, cog, and line in Mary Ann's hull. In a rather John Henryish turn of events, Mary Ann is eventually determined to be obsolete in the face of the fancier gasoline, electric and Diesel shovels. Mike refuses to give up his precious steam shovel, however, and a race to prove that Mary Ann can dig as much in a day as a hundred men can dig in a week explodes in a riveting (ho ho) finish.

Books about trucks, construction equipment, and planes is commonplace today. But such modern day classics as "I Stink" owe a great debt to the path that "Mike Mulligan" paved. Here we have a beautifully illustrated (in color at that!) story about two of the best friends in the world. Those kids interested in the technical aspects of steam shovels will be in heaven. And those that just like a rip-roaring yarn about a race against the clock will have a ball as well. Interestingly, author/illustrator Virginia Lee Burton chooses not to close up on Mike Mulligan's face at any point. When we do see him, he's usually viewed at a distance, waving, weeping, and smoking to his heart's content. It's Mary Ann that get the full frontal treatment, and she's a joy. Who could have thought a steam shovel to be so eloquent and emotional? That's the joy of this story and the genius of Virginia Lee Burton's masterwork.

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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: I Loved This Book!
Review: Like so many other reviewers I have fond memories of reading this book as a child. I fondly recall being a child in the 1970's and of having had this book read to me and when I got older and could read on my own I read it myself and I enjoyed the story of Mike Mulligan and his beloved steam shovel Mary Anne and recall this book having positive messages as well as being an entertaining book for children. Mike Mulligan is a steam shovel operator who has named his machine Mary Anne and they have worked very hard for many years digging canels, etc but times have changed and with steam shovels being replaced by electric, gasoline and diesel shovels Mary Anne is thought of as being obsolete but Mike is a very positive and determined man who knows that he and Mary Anne still have what it takes and to prove that he agrees to dig the foundation for a new building but has to do it in one day but he knows that they are up for the challenge. Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel is a wonderful book for children and I think it's good for both boys and girls and I very highly recommend it.

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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: Enduring classic
Review: This book is a classic tale about technology and obsolescence and the consequences for the people whose jobs are eclipsed by the advancement of technology. Mike Mulligan has a wonderful steam shovel (have you ever seen such a beast yourself?). The steam shovel was very important in the past- -it built canals, airfields, and even moved mountains. But nowadays, people use diesel-powered diggers, not steam shovels, and Mulligan's poor steam shovel is no longer in demand. In a tiny town out in the countryside, Mulligan gets one last job for his steam shovel, digging the foundation for a new city hall. Once the job is finished, the future does not look bright for Mulligan and his steam shovel. However, a small boy points out that they can be retrained- -the steam shovel can become the boiler for the new building, and Mulligan its janitor. Brilliant solution- -the last page shows the steam shovel sitting in the cellar, happily belching out steam to all parts of the building while Mulligan shovels coal into its hopper. The book doesn't have any elements that would scare young readers, and children with a fascination for heavy equipment will be delighted with the action. The big message can bring out a lot of questions and food for thought, however. The book has about 1100 words.

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Summary: There are no obsolete people
Review: This book is a wonderful story about a man and his machine. Mary Anne, and old steam shovel is about to be replaced by the modern diesel s and electric shovels. To prove her worth, they engage in a John Henry-esque race to dig the basement of the new Sky Scraper. She manages to dig the basement, but she is stuck! Instead of junking her, they convert her boiler into the heater for the new building.

What a message! There is no obsolescence, but just new challenges that can be overcome. Mike and Mary Anne prove their worth in sticking it out, and adapting to new circumstances. Children are empowered to see problems as opportunities, and are taught that even the obsolete have a place in society.

I have a friend who was sexually abused as a child, and the message of this book helps me help him. Everyone has a nitch, if we can just find it and capitalize on our talents. This message can empower anyone.