Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel By: Virginia Lee Burton

Book Title: Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel

Author: Virginia Lee Burton

Illustrator: Virginia Lee Burton

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Summary: Mike and his steam shovel Mary Anne are the best digging team in town. What 100 men could dig in a week, they could dig in one day. But when a new line up of modern steam shovels arrive, they get put out of business. So Mike and Mary Anne set out to find work in another town and bet the mayor that if they can't dig a spot for their new town hall in one full day, they won't have to be paid. Mike and Mary Anne complete the job, but dug themselves stuck in the ditch they built. They decide to make Mary Anne the furnace of the new town hall and Mike gets to stay with her and keep her in shape.  

ELA Content Standard 1: Grade 2, Key Ideas and Details #1 - Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

How it Connects: Students can ask questions like why did Mike and Mary Anne leave the city? How do you think they will get out of the ditch?

ELA Content Standard 2: Grade 2, Key Ideas and Details #2- Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

How it Connects: Students can research the time period in which Mike and Mary Anne would be working in and they types of steam shovels that were used. 

3 Tiers of  Vocab: 1) dig, friend 2) steam shovel, highways, 3) furnace

How Children Use Book: Small Groups and Centers

Meets Needs: Gifted students can use this book to do more research about the parts of a steam shovel and even compare and contrast steam shovels then and now