Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel: A Classic Construction Story About Friendship and Perseverance for Children (Ages 4–8)

Every child should hear this story. It is a timeless classic.

A grandkids favorite. I love the old stories and simple pictures.

Great Story, I remember reading this book over & over for my children as well as little ones I babysat with. I bought this for my Great Nephew, who really enjoyed when I sat down to read it to him.

This is a classic, fun story that my boys love. They love to draw Mary Ann the steam shovel.

This book is a classic that kids love. The pictures are perfect, the read is interesting and it teaches kids a valuable lesson. Can't say enough good things about this book.

My mother was a frequent visitor to used book stores while we were growing up (when you have ten children, you learn to live life in thrifty ways) and, when I saw Mike Mulligan on Amazon's list of 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime, it brought back memories of reading a battered copy of this book to my younger brothers (which always seemed to inspire them to gather their old Tonka trucks and head outside for some excavating of their own!) I'd mentioned to my dad (born the year before the Great Depression ended in 1939, the year this book was first published) that I'd just purchased the 75th anniversary edition of Mike Mulligan for my grandkids and - even though he was stricken with Alzheimer's years ago, it brought an instant smile of recognition... this was a book he remembered from his childhood as well! As soon as you open this book, the old-fashioned illustrations take you back to what was a simpler time, but also an extremely stressful time - the end of the longest and most far-reaching economic downturn in our nation's history (at its lowest point, 13-15 million Americans were out of work, close to half of the banks had failed, a time when bread lines and soup kitchens were the norm, with foreclosures and repossessions leading to rising numbers of homeless as people lost their jobs - just as Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel named Mary Anne do, as steam shovels are quickly being replaced by power shovels. The deep hole Mike and Mary Anne find themselves in with no way out feels reflective of that period. It was a time when loyalty, trust, faith and ingenuity was about all you had to get by on, and the deep friendship between Mike and Mary Anne is a perfect example of that. 1939 was the year American industry shifted into high gear with WW II, when pulling together to support the troops was everything, including re-purposing of various items for new usages... just as Mary Anne becomes re-purposed as a furnace for a new town hall, for which Mike becomes the janitor - still together through it all. It was interesting to discover that Mary Anne's name was based on the Marion, Ohio's Marion Steam Shovel Company, re-named the Marion Power Shovel Company after the change from steam to diesel power within the industry had taken hold. (Sadly, after being sold, spun off, and then integrated into the product line of a long time rival, the Marion facility was closed.) This 75th Anniversary edition is a beautiful book (with instructions on how to download a free audiobook on the first page)... some of the pages are pretty wordy, so I don't know that it would hold the attention of a 2 year old, but I think our 4-1/2 year old grandson will do fine with it - the words are very simple, and are displayed in interesting configurations (many of the pages have the lines of words in a slanted fashion, which sort of reminds me of a big load of words Mary Anne might lift!), and though the imprinted $17.99 price on the cover seems a bit hefty for a 44-page book, this is one of the true classics (which the National Education Association places among the "Teachers' Top 100 Books") - one we'll be happy to place into the hands of our grandchildren. My favorite thing about the story is the sense of dignity and respect with which Mike and Mary Anne are treated in the end, after all of their years of hard work. If only all American workers could look forward to the same treatment!

There are nearly 100 reviews of this book so I feel safe in giving my own interpretation of this wonderful story by Virginia Lee Burton. This book was written in 1939 and it still holds up. What makes a classic? When the story touches on a great truth, and Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel is not just the simple story of a man and his machine, it goes far deeper. While it's easy to enjoy the sweet story of a man who loves his steam shovel, naming her Mary Ann, and he's so proud of her that he declares that she can out-dig a hundred men. He's continually bragging that Mary Ann can dig as much in one day as a hundred man can in a week. This book gives the first clue to Mary Ann's specialness by saying that "Mike took such good care of Mary Ann she never grew old". So Mary Ann is immortal. She becomes something out of mythology. Then we have her name, Mary (Virgin Mary) Ann (Virgin Mary's mother), and Michael(Arch Angel, warrior of God). For years and years Mike and Mary Ann dig great canals for boats to go through, they cut through mountains for trains to get through, and highways for cars to move about. In other words, Mike and Mary Ann are in service to mankind. Then, when Mary Ann goes out of fashion because she's steam, and diesel engines come on the scene, work runs out for the two. No one has faith in them anymore. So Mike takes Mary Ann to a small town where the people need a basement dug for their city hall. Now Mike has to make good in his bragging, and he and Mary Ann have to dig the basement in only one day or do the job for free. (Mike has faith even though he doesn't know for sure.) They set about digging the basement and a young boy sits down to watch, showing his faith in Mike and Mary Ann. Now we have the Biblical faith of a child echoed in the story. Soon other join the boy and the more people that join, the faster Make and Mary Ann dig. When the smoke clears at the end of the day, (smoke moves between the dimensions) and they've done it! The basement is finished in time. But wait . . . Mary Ann and Mike didn't leave themselves any way out of the whole. And here's where the story really comes together, since Mary Ann can't get out of the whole, or at least she could if she ruined the whole, she becomes the steam furnance for the town hall. Mary Ann sacrifices herself and becomes something greater than she was before, still serving mankind. So instead of dying (being pulled apart for scrap) Mary Ann becomes something new because Mike loved her enough to keep her running perfectly. He's rewarded by being given the job of continuing to care for Mary Ann in her new form. Of course you can read this story as just a simple story of a man how loves his steam shovel . . .

What a timeless tale. The story line is one of encouragement and friendship! Would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for a book that will never get old regardless of age!

A book I loved when I was a small boy, and one that my little boy loves now. Great pictures, a lovely story from a time less hectic.

Such a well loved classic, brought back childhood memories. 👍🏻

This was my son’s favorite book. Bought it for my two year old grandson who is infatuated with excavation equipment. He loves the book. His other Oma is buying one for each of her other three grandsons. Her name is Marianne!

Takes me back to my childhood , a beautiful story beautifully told

We ordered this book as it was a favourite of mine as a child in the 50s, and of my son in the 80s, it is now being read to my granddaughter. The book, is brand new and arrived within a few days of ordering. We are absolutely delighted and it is bringing back so many happy memories and creating them for the future.