A modern classic now available in Spanish. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is the story of a steam-shovel operator and his steam shovel - the be...
read full description
reviews
Sep 14, 2011
Riley
rated it: 
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...
Jan 11, 2011
Ronyell
rated it: 
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
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 29, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
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
More...
Feb 23, 2010
Sarai
rated it:
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...
Dec 11, 2011
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...
Jan 02, 2010
Carriek
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 07, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
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
More...
Jun 11, 2008
Heather
rated it:
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.
We've read this book several times. It's one we'll read again I'm sure.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 28, 2011
Matt
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Oct 08, 2011
Allison
rated it: 
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 ear More...
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 ear More...
Jan 08, 2011
Jill
rated it:
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 r More...
I like being popular.
Also, we r More...
Jul 13, 2011
Zach
rated it:
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...
Oct 10, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
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...
Feb 09, 2009
Mindy
rated it:
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...
Mar 23, 2008
Mister Jones
rated it:
A children's book that still kicks major ass well into adulthood!
Nov 09, 2011
babyhippoface
rated it:
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 More...
Nice, old-fashioned book (because it is 63 years old) that reminds us of a time when life was simpler and taking More...
Sep 17, 2011
Katie
rated it:
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 com
More...
Aug 23, 2009
Jack Kirby and the X-man
rated it:
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 dies More...
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 dies More...
Jan 29, 2012
Shanna
rated it:
Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne, his steam shovel, have worked hard all their lives to open the way for people to build the roads, canals, and tunnels that the country's transportation system depends upon. But as Mike Mulligan ages, technology changes -- and the demand for steam shovels (and their operators) virtually disappears. One day Mike Mulligan decides to take on the challenge of digging a cellar for the new town hall of far-off Popperville. The townspeople from Popperville and the nearby
More...
Apr 09, 2011
Misty
rated it:
This is a good story. I would like to use it in my classroom to help teach about attending to print detail and repetition. There are tons of m's and n's in this story which are two of the most common confused letters for pre-k and kindergarten students. Also, the book continuously repeats the line, "Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne and some others..." to help emphasize what is happening in the story. It's no wonder this book has been around for sixty years, it's a great teaching tool.
Aug 09, 2009
Jenny
rated it:
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel are inseparable. They go everywhere together. She’s “a beautiful red steam shovel./ Her name was Marianne.” Your youngsters observe Mike and Mary Anne in a series of illustrations as they dig the great canals for the big boats to sail through, and cut a tunnel high in the mountains for the trains to go through.
Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/47Books/rev...
Full review:
http://www.twentybyjenny.com/47Books/rev...
Nov 03, 2009
I remember loving this book, but more, I think, for the illustrations than the narrative. The older I get, and the more technologies I see orphaned, the more poignant it gets.
It reminds me of my aunt telling about how she was in her home town again and heard a train pull in. She didn't think anything of it, at first, because it was so familiar--then she realized that it was a restored steam train, in town for a festival.
It reminds me of my aunt telling about how she was in her home town again and heard a train pull in. She didn't think anything of it, at first, because it was so familiar--then she realized that it was a restored steam train, in town for a festival.
Sep 03, 2009
Tom
rated it:
I remember reading this well. I remember thinking that it seemed kind of bleak, because the heroes goals were so mundane. I think that my thinking represented a big difference between the feelings of a child in my generation and those of a child in the previous generation(s). To me, a successful business and food on the table didn't seem like much. Have we climbed Maslow's hierarchy of needs, or are we just spoiled?
Nov 17, 2008
Nola
rated it:
This was a great book. My three-and-a-half year old really enjoyed hearing it, and actually sat through the whole thing. The text is somewhat dense on the page, so it is definitely for the slightly older toddler set. My son really enjoyed Mike and Mary Anne, and he got really upset when he thought Mike wouldn't get paid. I can't say I like the solution given - seems like a ripoff for Mary Anne to me - but my son didn't have a problem with it, and I guess that's what matters. <sigh> I suppo
More...
Feb 02, 2012
Heleen
rated it:
Unusual for me to write a review for a picture book. But this one contains so much memory. One of my older brothers read it to me repeatedly. I am much younger than my siblings so I have very few memories of time spent together, which makes this a special one. I remember reading it to my oldest when he was younger and he didn't love it. I was so disappointed!
Feb 27, 2009
Cat
rated it:
I attribute my love for the traditional and old-fashioned to this book. This is also the book that made me realize I was going to have to avoid deconstructing my childhood reading selections if I wanted to remain sane. Please, no one ask me about the implications of Irish-American labor force in rural and suburban America in this sweet little book.
Apr 04, 2011
Amy
rated it:
This book has always been a classic! Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel show determination and perseverance although the odds are against them. I placed this book in my character education section because I wanted to use Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne as good examples of what determination and perseverance looks like in a fictional story.
Nov 16, 2008
Farida
rated it:
I enjoyed this book well enough as a child, but now my 5 1/2 year old is kvelling, and I have a new appreciation for the details of Burton's illustrations as well as the wry timing of the sentences. I love how, in the beginning, the work is done by "Mike Mulligan, Mary Anne [the steam shovel] and some others." The irony of the story is that all the work MM and MA did to enable progress helped to make them obsolete. By the way, that acknowledgement to Dickie Birkenbush toward the end of
More...
