Book Review: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Rating: 
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 towns come to watch him dig, and he and Mary Anne finish the cellar in a single day. When they realize they have forgotten to leave a way to get Mary Anne out, a child in Popperville suggests that Mary Anne be converted to steam furnace, and Mike Mulligan be given a job taking care of the town hall. In this way, the aging machine and the aging worker are given a productive retirement, in the context of warm community.
The story is told with a pleasing rhythm, and while it can work at younger ages as a simple challenge story centering on whether Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne can actually dig the cellar in a day, a deeper theme is of homecoming: through diligence and hard work, Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne win a place in the community where they are useful, respected and appreciated.
Because the themes of aging and loneliness are a little abstract for children under four or five, I recommend the paper version of this book rather than the popular board book format.
Categories: 4 Stars, Age 04-08, Amblesideonline, Book Tree, Honey For a Child's Heart, NEH Summertime Favorites, Read-Aloud Handbook, World Books That Show, World Nifty 50
Tags: Aging, Classics, Community, Construction Vehicles, Diligence, Excavators, Faithfulness, Homecoming, Loneliness, Steam Shovels, Technology, Work
Posted on June 10, 2009
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