Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 19,952 ratings · 274 reviews

A modern classic that no child should miss. 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, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers -- the very symbol of industrial America. But with pr...more

Hardcover, 48 pages

Published September 9th 1939 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (first published September 9th 1938)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Favorite books from my childhood

120th out of 2,636 books — 4,855 voters

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Best Children's Books

121st out of 2,250 books — 3,511 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 22, 2013 Pete rated it 2 of 5 stars

I just read this one for the very first time today at the request/brute forcing of a co-worker.

So Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, which has eyelashes TO DIE FOR, dig a big hole, but they get so whipped up in digging the hole that the steam shovel is stuck inside. They come up with a solution of sorts. I won't spoil it here, but let me just say that although it's clever, it's poor practice to rely on cleverness to alleviate the problems of poor planning.

Mike Mulligan is a classic children's...more I just read this one for the very first time today at the request/brute forcing of a co-worker.

So Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, which has eyelashes TO DIE FOR, dig a big hole, but they get so whipped up in digging the hole that the steam shovel is stuck inside. They come up with a solution of sorts. I won't spoil it here, but let me just say that although it's clever, it's poor practice to rely on cleverness to alleviate the problems of poor planning.

Mike Mulligan is a classic children's book character: The Crammer. Remember that story about the grasshopper and the ant? The story where one of them is preparing for winter while the other one is just screwing around? I'm guessing it was the grasshopper who was screwing around. Ants seem pretty industrious while grasshoppers have no occupation other than jumping directly into your face. And some of them can fly, sort of? What the hell?

Anyway, that grasshopper was the classic Crammer who learns a lesson about not doing all his work at the last minute.

Mike Mulligan is like that too. He decides that the answer to his problem is to do a week's worth in one day. He's so confident he'll finish that he stakes his entire wage for the job on it.

It's weird because the book makes it seem that if he pulls off this one job, everything will be great. If he doesn't, he'll be screwed. But it's one day of work. If your financial life rides on one work day, you should probably spend less time steam-shoveling and making steamshovel-related bets and spend more time MAKING MONEY.

As much as Mike Mulligan is a classic character, there's an even more popular children's character in this book: The Unmitigated Asshole.

Henry B. Swap is just a real ass the entire time for no apparent reason. He's always sneering, and he balks at the idea of a steam shovel. Some guy shows up to my town and says he'll dig a foundation in a day, what do I care if he uses a steam shovel? He could use enslaved orphans who are using the corpses of other orphans as shovels if he can get it done in 12 hours. That's really none of my business.

Also, like most UA's in these books, Henry B. Swap comes around at the end. I guess these guys, these unlovable curmudgeons, just need a light miracle to bring them around to being nice for a change. I mean, sure, he spent 35 years drinking himself to oblivion, has been a rude butthole to every person he's ever met, and once he even hit a transient who was trying to hitchhike. And though Henry B. Swap is 70-80% sure that the transient did not survive that impact, all it took was a steam shovel doing an honest day's work to really turn things around for him.

On the plus, I did find this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z1R5...

"But then came a grotesque parade of new shovels..." Classic.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2012 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Yes, its true -- I dreaded the nights (night after night after night) when one of my sons would insist we read this book! Why? Because it's long, and detailed -- good for the child, terrible for a weary parent. My boys memorized the story, and if I ever tried to skip a page, I was found out and the missing page was revisited.

This book is a great gift to give to any child who is enthralled with heavy machinery, but there's more to it than that. At the time the story is written (1939) Mike Mulliga...more Yes, its true -- I dreaded the nights (night after night after night) when one of my sons would insist we read this book! Why? Because it's long, and detailed -- good for the child, terrible for a weary parent. My boys memorized the story, and if I ever tried to skip a page, I was found out and the missing page was revisited.

This book is a great gift to give to any child who is enthralled with heavy machinery, but there's more to it than that. At the time the story is written (1939) Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, his steam shovel, are becoming outdated. They used to be busy in the big city, making basements for big buildings. But as always happens, something better - faster, more efficient gas, electric and Diesel shovels - is replacing them.

Mike Mulligan knows they still have value. He's always told people that Mary Anne could dig as much in a day as a hundred men could dig in a week, though he's never been quite sure this is true.

To find work, he ventures into the country to the town of Popperville, where a new Town Hall is being built. Mike promises to build the cellar in just one day ("What!" said Henry B. Swap. "Dig a cellar in just one day! It would take a hundred men at least a week to dig the cellar for our new town hall." ) Henry and the townpeople are swayed when Mike promises that "If we can't do it, you won't have to pay."

The citizens of Bangerville and Bopperville, Kipperville and Kopperville plus all the people from Popperville come out to watch Mike and Mary Anne work hard under the hot sun. They finish the job as the sun sets, just in the nick of time.

One small boy has been watching them, and he asks a really good question - "How are they going to get out?" Mike was in such a hurry, he forgot to make a way to get Mary Anne out of the cellar.

Everyone tries to think of a solution, but it's that astute little boy who comes up with the best one. They decide to keep the Steam Shovel in the cellar, and build the town hall over them. Mike Mulligan can be the janitor, the steam shovel will keep the building warm in the winter, they won't have to buy a new furnace (Henry B. Swap really likes this frugal thought!) and everyone is happy.

The kids who read it especially like looking at all the tiny details in the pictures, but I think they especially like the small boy finding the solution that none of the adults can figure out.

In retrospect, I suppose it really wasn't that awful to have to read it again and again and again. There is the grandparent's revenge,too - I saved the book with my son's scribblings on it and just handed it over to him, to read again and again and again to his little boy!

Definitely worth buying the hardcover edition!(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2012 Jessica Berry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

This book is about Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne. Mike and Mary Anne have dug many holes for many years. Mike takes very good care of Mary Anne. They have dug canals, cleared a path in the mountains for train tracks, and made cellars for skyscrapers. Soon, new gasoline, electric, and diesel motor shovels are made. There is no longer a need for steam shovels like Mary Anne. Mike does not want to leave Mary Anne because he loves her. Mike and Mary Anne go to a town called Poppervill...more

like · see review

Sep 14, 2011 Riley Conway rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Virginia Burton's Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, the reader learns, in a series of beautiful and detailed pictures, what a steam shovel can do: dig canals, cut through mountains, lower hills, straighten curves, smooth ground, fill in holes, create landing fields for planes, and dig holes for the cellars of skyscrapers. Mike Mulligan is proud of his steam shovel Mary Anne (apparently a reference to Marion Steam Shovels), and boasts that she could dig in one day what 100 men could do in on...more In Virginia Burton's Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, the reader learns, in a series of beautiful and detailed pictures, what a steam shovel can do: dig canals, cut through mountains, lower hills, straighten curves, smooth ground, fill in holes, create landing fields for planes, and dig holes for the cellars of skyscrapers. Mike Mulligan is proud of his steam shovel Mary Anne (apparently a reference to Marion Steam Shovels), and boasts that she could dig in one day what 100 men could do in one week, and the two always work faster and better when others are watching.

But gas, electric, and diesel shovels are rapidly replacing steam shovels. Out with the old and in with the new. Mike knows that Mary Anne still has worth; so he goes to the small town of Popperville, which needs a basement dug for its new town hall. Mike is so confident that the work can be done in a day (remember his boast about the 100 men?) that he promises that the labor will be free if not completed by nightfall.

At dawn the next day, they set out to work. The reader gets the sounds of the digging: BING! BANG! CRASH! SLAM! The people of Popperville (and neighboring Bangerville, Bopperville, Kipperville, and Kopperville) all come to watch, which makes Mike and Mary Anne work faster and better! The ending is exciting and unexpected: Mary Anne gets stuck in the basement!

This dilemma encourages interaction with the reader, asking of him what should be done in this situation. Ultimately, upon the suggestion of the little boy in the story (based on the suggestion given to Burton by a real-life 12-year-old), it is decided that Mary Anne will be used to heat the new town hall, and Mike is given a job there so that he may always be with her. The technology in the book is deliberately outdated (and infinitely more outdated now). But the story still feels fresh. Ahead of it's time, even. At least for me. I'm still young, but I can feel more and more each day just how quickly the world moves, and how easy it is to feel suddenly irrelevant. Especially as a writer. Mike Mulligan encourages salvage and reuse of valuable resources and finding value in things (and people!) that might otherwise be written off. Not preservation for preservation's sake, but creative and essential new uses for what we already have.(less)

like · see review

Jan 11, 2011 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1001-children-s-books-you-must-read, books-i-want-to-own, children-books, cult-classic, fantasy, picture-books, read-in-2009, reviewed-books, ronyell-s-epinions-reviews, weston-woods, virginia-lee-burton

When I first heard about this book, I was wondering to myself what was so special about a book being about a man and his steam shovel. Well, when I read this book I was amazed at how this book turned out! “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” is a memorable children’s book by Virginia Lee Burton and it is about how a man named Mike Mulligan tries to prove to everyone that his steam shovel, Mary Anne, can dig up a huge cellar for the new town hall in one day. “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” i...more When I first heard about this book, I was wondering to myself what was so special about a book being about a man and his steam shovel. Well, when I read this book I was amazed at how this book turned out! “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” is a memorable children’s book by Virginia Lee Burton and it is about how a man named Mike Mulligan tries to prove to everyone that his steam shovel, Mary Anne, can dig up a huge cellar for the new town hall in one day. “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” is a great book for children who love reading about steam shovels and learning about the power of friendship!

Wow! This was such an amazing book! Virginia Lee Burton has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this terrific book about the importance of true friendship. Virginia Lee Burton’s writing is simple yet cute at the same time as she effectively tells Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne’s story. What I really loved about this book was how close Mike Mulligan was to his steam shovel, Mary Anne. I thought that it was really cute about how Mike Mulligan gave his steam shovel a beautiful name, since it truly shows how Mike treated his steam shovel like an actual friend rather than a regular machine and I also loved the way that Mike is always praising Mary Anne’s hard work as he truly appreciates Mary Anne’s hard work. I loved how Virginia Lee Burton made Mike into such a caring and confident character, even after he was put out of the job because Mary Anne was too old to compete with the newer steam shovels since he stayed with Mary Anne throughout his career. Virginia Lee Burton’s illustrations are just simply beautiful and colorful and I really loved the image of Mary Anne herself as she looks like an old, fashioned steam shovel and yet has a somewhat human expression as you see her smiling on every page. Another image I loved was the image of Mike Mulligan himself as he looks so small on every page compared to Mary Anne and he wears blue overalls with a red shirt and he also looks really built for doing his job. Another thing I loved about the illustrations were some images where Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne were shown to look like characters that came out of a superhero comic strip as there are some flashing colors around them to indicate that.

This is not really a big deal to me, but the only slight con of this book is that the story and the illustrations might seem a bit outdated for the current generation of children, since this book was made during the 1930s and smaller children might be confused about what steam shovels are and parents or grandparents who were born during the 1930s might be able to explain to their children what times were like during the 1930s involving steam shovels.

Overall, “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” is a truly heartwarming story about the true importance of friendship that will remain in many children’s hearts for many generations to come. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2010 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story is about Mike Mulligan and his very special steam shovel, Mary Anne. Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne had been digging for many years, and were very good at their job. New tractors were invented, and then Mike Mulligan was sad that no one wanted him to help dig holes with an old steam shovel like Mary Anne. He went to dig a cellar for a town hall, and told everyone he could dig the cellar in only one day. He did manage to dig the cellar in only one day, but forgot to leave a way to get the...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2010 Sarai rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-picture-books

Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne dig big holes. But then gasoline and electric and diesel shovels come along and Mike and Mary Anne can't find work. They go to a small town and promise to dig the basement of the new town hall in one day or it will be free. Unfortunately, when they are done digging, they realize they have not created a way for themselves to get out of the hole. Then an enterprising young boy suggests they build town hall around Mike and Mary Anne; Mike can be the new...more

like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-picture-book

This book is about a man named Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel named Mary Ann. Together, Mike and Mary Ann helped to dig canals for boats, through mountains for trains, through hills for highways, land for airplane landing fields, and the cellars of skyscrapers. Eventually, steam shovels were replaced by gasoline, electric, and diesel motor shovels and no one wanted to use Mike and Mary Ann anymore. They left the big city and went to a small city in the country called Popperville. Here they d...more

like · see review

May 24, 2010 Kale Mcnaney added it

I remember making my mom read this to me every night before going to bed. A Classic!

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Josiah rated it 2 of 5 stars

I would for sure give this book two and a half stars, and considered rounding it up to three.

A classic even among the many classics created by Virginia Lee Burton, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is a book every reader should know. The affectionate warmth of the story, the unyielding determination of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, that they can still make a difference in an era when simpler equipment is being outmoded by vehicles of ever-increasing power, strikes many of th...more I would for sure give this book two and a half stars, and considered rounding it up to three.

A classic even among the many classics created by Virginia Lee Burton, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is a book every reader should know. The affectionate warmth of the story, the unyielding determination of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, that they can still make a difference in an era when simpler equipment is being outmoded by vehicles of ever-increasing power, strikes many of the same chords as the American legends of John Henry and Paul Bunyan. What are we to do when everyone tells us we don't have what it takes anymore to be successful in a fast-changing world, that what once was good enough to make us king of the hill is no longer adequate to even compete in the modern landscape? Mike Mulligan has faith in Mary Anne, though. He knows there's more to her than just wire and steel. Mary Anne may be more old-fashioned in her construction than the sleek modern shovels, but her strong resolve to work harder and get the job done faster than any other shovel cannot be eclipsed by the machinations of some heartless new excavator model running on electricity. Mike Mulligan aims to give Mary Anne one final day in the sun, a chance to show she hasn't lost her advantage over any other shovel no matter how it's powered. What she does with that chance may make her a legend.

Mary Anne is one fine steam shovel. Working in tandem with Mike Mulligan, her operator, Mary Anne has dug the foundations for most major American construction projects from coast to coast, readying land for train tracks, big buildings, canals and air strips to be built on, among other things. What would the people have done without Mary Anne to get the job done? She works with unmatched speed and precision, doing more in a single day than a team of shovels and their operators could accomplish in a week. Times change, however, and when more modern machinery is put on the market and hyped as the only way to go in the new era of construction, Mary Anne finds herself out of work, unwanted and forgotten not because she can no longer get the job done, but because people don't want to give her the opportunity.

As he watches most other steam shovel operators leave their old vehicles at the dump, Mike Mulligan is determined not to let such a sad fate befall his trustworthy Mary Anne. Though even he has some nagging doubts as to what Mary Anne can do in this age of rapid technological improvement, he makes a bold bet in her defense that she can finish an especially demanding job in a tiny fraction of the time required for a fleet of modern excavators to get it done. When the challenge is accepted, Mike Mulligan knows Mary Anne will be pushed harder than ever before in her life, but his faith in her never wavers. And while his vision for her triumphant success at the task may not come to pass in quite the way he had hoped, the end result makes Mary Anne perhaps a greater legend than she ever could have been otherwise, and ensures neither operator nor steam shovel will ever again be alone or forgotten.

Virginia Lee Burton's picture books often deal with the effects of drastic change in a world that sees technology leaps occur at a rate unprecedented in human history. This trend was already well along when Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel was first published, becoming increasingly noticeable over the next several decades, and Virginia Lee Burton addresses the issues of this transformation with unique sensitivity to the feelings of both her characters and readers. It's so easy to give up on a hope or dream that looks as if it can be earned only through great difficulty, but for every time we're tempted to throw in the towel at anything we really care about, the example of persistent workers such as Katy the snow plow and Mary Anne the steam shovel stands in quiet encouragement, reminding those of us who read about these characters over and over as kids that there is a reward for not giving up when the path becomes treacherous, there is a happy ending to be earned if we're willing to bear down and go for it like the steadfast characters in these books. That, to me, is a big part of what makes Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel a timeless story, and is why I have no doubt it will continue inspiring and galvanizing kids to not give up when it comes to going after what they really want. Congratulations, Virginia Lee Burton, on yet another job well done. (less)

like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: "A modern classic that no child should miss. 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, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers -- the very symbol of industrial America. But with progress come new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as mu...more

like · see review

May 04, 2012 Vernon Area Public Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books, historical-fiction

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton E/BUR (ages 4 to 8 years)
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne have lost their jobs to newer machines. What will they do? To learn their fate, share this classic picture book, rich in language, with your favorite child.

The alliterative phrases are fun to say. For example, when Mike and Mary Anne are in the throes of a digging project, the town’s telephone operator calls the towns of “Bangerville, and Bopperville, Kipperville and Ko...more

like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 Courtney added it

I read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. This was about MIke who was very proud of his steam shovel named Mary Anne, who was very powerful. Mary Anne was old and very helpful, adn helped build many of our countrie's infrastructures. Then some better shovels came along and took away all of Mike and Mary Anne's jobs. Mary Anne and Mike took a job in Popperville. They worked faster when people watched, so the whole town came and watched. They worked...more

like · see review

Dec 22, 2009 Carriek rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prek, picture-books, elementary, read-a-loud

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 07, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s

Wow, it's the 60th anniversary of this one! I read it to Mackenzie. We loved the relationship between Mike and MaryAnn and Mackenzie liked the repetitive phrases..."That made Mike Mulligan and MaryAnn dig a little bit faster and a little bit better." Mackenzie was horrified by the picture of the steam engines collecting at the bottom of the cliff. She asked me if they were dead. She's really starting to get a grip on what it means to die. It was a little upsetting, but the lovely thing about 3 y...more

like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Gabriella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: folk-tale

As a little girl, stories by Virginia Lee Burton were always some of my favorites. She tells her stories in a way that is enchanting; almost as if she were sitting in a rocking chair, surrounded by people young and old, passing a piece of history down along the generations. Her style of writing reminds her readers that although the world is constantly changing, the old is something to be held on to. In this particular story, the strong bond between a man and his steam shovel allow them to overco...more

like · see review

Sep 13, 2009 Maryanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childhood-favorites, picture-book

Childhood favorite, I remember hearing this on the Captain Kangaroo show and loving it ever since, not only because the steam shovel's name is Mary Anne (spelled the same way as my name.)

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, my-sons-liked-it, picture-books

My sons just "read" this for the 50ths time or so. Their great grandmother went to school in the town that Popperville is based on and claimed to have known the boy that inspired this story. She bought them the collected works of Virgina Burton when my first son was born.

I love how her stories of train trollies, snow plows and (of course) steam shovels show how the machines work with a larger community. The surprise happy ending for Mary Ann the Steam Shovel is such a timely example of reuse and...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2008 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-the-little-ones, school-books-kid-books

This is a great story of finding your place in the world. My kids loved the pictures and cheered right along with all the townspeople.

We've read this book several times. It's one we'll read again I'm sure.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Matt Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Classic Picture Book
This is a story of a man, Mike, and his steam shovel who he named Mary Anne. Mike and his steam shovel are being put out of work due to modern shovels who are said to work faster. Mike makes the bold statement that he and Mary Anne can dig a cellar as fast as 100 men. They go to work the next morning and get the job done but they forgot one thing, to build a ramp so they could get out. They get stuck and a kid sugests Mike become the janitor in the new building and Mary Anne...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2011 Allison W. rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Preschoolers & Up

Recommended to Allison W. by: 1001 CBYMRBYGU

Shelves: 1001-cbymrbygu

This was one of my absolute favorite books as a child. I think that today, for kids who are really interested in construction and/or machines, this could easily become a favorite. But, given how unfamiliar the steam shovel looks compared with modern construction vehicles, it may be difficult for kids to really identify with it as we did back in the 1960s.

On the upside, hey, the steam shovel is female! I didn't remember that from my own childhood. And, it may well contain one of the earliest exam...more

like · see review

Jan 08, 2011 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

We've read this with our kids before, but we're on an "Order and Goal-striving" unit in their preschool and this was one of the recommended books. No problem. I picked it up (I love online book reservations from the library - very fabulous), brought it home, and when I pulled it out of the bag, my five-year-old boy nearly knocked me over to grab it. "Mom!" he ever so politely yelled, "this is my *favorite book*!"

I like being popular.

Also, we recently read "Ramona the Pest" and in that book, Ramo...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Zach Naegele rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this book Mike and his steam shovel Mary Ann are the best and fastest diggers around. They dug paths through mountains, canals, and ditches of all sorts. Soon better shovels were developed that ran off of diesel, electricity, and gasoline. The new shovels took away all the jobs Mike and Mary Ann used to do. Mike saw an article in the newspaper about a new town hall that needed a cellar, and Mike bet that he and Mary Ann could dig it in one day. As more and more people gathered, Mike and Mary...more

like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Jamie Winslow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: picture-book

This was a cute little story about Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel that he took great care of. When the steam shovel was new she and Mike Mulligan got lots of work done and most people around liked to watch them work but as time past they were wanted for less and less work. The newer and faster equipment was wanted to do the new work. Mike Mulligan had heard of a new job in Popperville and he went and asked if he could do the work. The mayor of Popperville laughed at Mike Mulligan and his tea...more

like · see review

Feb 09, 2009 Mindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

This book is relatively interesting...my son would sit through the whole thing and pay attention, but neither of us really enjoyed it. It's unconvincing, this love between Mike and Mary Anne. We didn't feel moved by the way the characters developed either, such as the mean guy who started to feel less mean. That's nice and all, but why did this happen exactly? We did enjoy a lot of conversation about the sociological and historical elements of the story, such as the use of coal/steam, the Panama...more

like · see review

Mar 23, 2008 Mister Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adults, children, artists, construction workers, doctors, teachers, well hell anybody

Recommended to Mister Jones by: My parents, of course

A children's book that still kicks major ass well into adulthood!

1 like · like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 babyhippoface rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, kids-picture-books

Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, have dug out canals, cut through mountains, leveled ground for roads, and more. But modern machines have been developed, and no one has a need for a steam shovel anymore. In an effort to prove they are still capable and useful, Mike Mulligan bets they can dig out the basement of a new building in just one day. Can they do it?

Nice, old-fashioned book (because it is 63 years old) that reminds us of a time when life was simpler and taking the time to...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2012 Fjóla rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 4 - 8 year olds, lovers of mighty machines

Shelves: children-s-books, books-to-borrow-again, 1001-kids-3plus, loki-s-favorites, kids-old-classics

Not sure it it's a "modern" classic, because many things in it will honestly not look very modern to your 4 year old, but it's definitely a classic. And what little boy doesn't hold a fascination for any type of construction machine/vehicle. So, my little boy asked me to read the story about the Steam Shovel, the anthropomorphic Mary Ann. The first time I read it, while it's a sweet story, I was a little bummed myself about the ending, and felt somewhat let down. As I read it again, it started m...more

like · see review

Sep 17, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: preschool

Classic story of how we all have a place in the world, we just have to find it. Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne are partners that will not allow urbanization to separate them from each other or make them obsolete. Burton's beautiful illustrations create a feeling of nostalgia for simpler times, and her visual personification of Mary Anne makes us love her. This story can still be seen as relevant in spite of being written 1939 because regardless of decade change is something we all struggle to come...more

like · see review

Aug 23, 2009 Jack Kirby and the X-man rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jack Kirby and the X-man by: New York Public Library

Shelves: 1930s, 2009, author-us, childrens, childrens-picture-book, library_book, fiction, setting-north-america, setting-north-america-us, must-read-list-ny-public-library-10

This appears to be an American classic - but this is the first I've heard of it.

My first thought on openning this book was the similarity between Mary Anne and the Snort from P.D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?. It always struck me as odd that Eastman brought back what must have been ancient technology to his 1950s audience - but it makes perfect sense if his audience are used to this level of technology courtesy of this book, which was written at the time steam was overtaken by diesel engines.

It...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (34)

More editions...

Genres

Childrens > Picture Books

305 users

Childrens

291 users

Classics

50 users

Childrens > Juvenile

18 users

Kids

14 users

Young Adult

7 users

Fantasy

5 users

Academic > School

4 users

Historical Fiction

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Virginia Lee Burton

Virginia Lee Burton was an American illustrator and children's book author. Burton produced seven self-illustrated children's books. She married Boston Museum school sculptor, George Demetrios, with whom she had two sons and lived in Folly Cove, Gloucester. She died at 59.

More about Virginia Lee Burton...

Books by Virginia Lee Burton

Mike Mulligan and More: A Virginia Lee Burton Treasury

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Mike Mulligan and...

4 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
avg rating	preview: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel Goodreads rating: 4.16 (19952 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153542.Mike_Mulligan_and_His_Steam_Shovel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349044993l/153542.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153542.Mike_Mulligan_and_His_Steam_Shovel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton[/url]

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website