Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
reviewed on + 4 more book reviews


Mike Mulligan & Mary Anne are a fabulous team. Mike is very proud of Mary Anne and takes care of her.
Mary Anne has done some great feats in her days; digging canals, straightening roads, cutting through mountains, etc.

But then the Diesel shovels, the electric shovels, the gasoline shovels come. Before long there are no jobs available for Mike and his steam shovel.

Until one day he reads an ad saying that the town of Popperville needs a cellar for their new town hall.

When they get to the town Mike declares that Mary Anne can dig the basement in a day. A selectman scoffs at him, but Mike is confident. He declares that if they don't finish in a day, the town won't have to pay them.

Will Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne get the cellar finished in time?

A beloved book in our family. A story of team work and the power of encouragement. The care, confidence, and tenderness that Mike has for Mary Anne is admirable.