Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel 75th Anniversary

Engaging, fun classic story for construction obsessed 4 year olds.

Great story for kids who love heavy equipment. It is an oldie but goodie. Bought it for my son 30 years ago, and just bought another one for my new grandchild. The hardback version is sturdy and colorful.This edition comes with a link to an free audio version. I haven't tried it and I'm not sure why I would want to as I plan on reading it aloud myself, but some parents might like it.NOTE: I noticed on other reviews that people complained that the audio version was not included. On the inside cover there is a link to a website where you can download the audio. Perhaps other buyers expected a CD or something and missed this link. Not sure, but possibly.

When my kids and my brother's kids were little, my mom used to read this book to them. My niece had a baby and as part of the shower, we were supposed to bring a book. My mom brought this version of Mike Mulligan. It brought back such memories. The whole family talked about it.I have a grandchild of my own now and so I biught the book too. It's great to continue family traditions.

My Husbands Childhood second favorite Book . He had to get this for our grandsons Christmas book now that he turned six. My husband was delighted to share his memories with his grandson.

I am 66 years old and bought this as a memento of my childhood. It is the same exact book I had as a 5 year old child. Really enjoyed reading the story again. I’ll never forget it was a story book read by Captain Kangaroo 🦘 on his TV show. I loved how he read books.

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!

Loved this book as a child. Great addition to my library.

This was a Christmas present for a 2 year old. The book arrived in perfect condition.

A true and eternal CLASSIC !!

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.

3 year old loves it! Shame about American wording, highways, gasoline etc.

I used to go to the library with my Mom when I was a child and have this book read to me. I think I heard this one about 300 times. When it arrived and I read it, I could barely see from the tears streaming down my face. Thank you, Virginia.

Excellent