Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel has the kind of freshness and utter originality that has been making the over-the-counter sales on juveniles all through the last decade, from "Millions of Cats" to "Ferdinand". It is the story of a faithful Irish steam-shovel artist and his steam shovel—the beguiling Mary Anne—that he would not desert even though competition from gas and Diesel-motored shovels was ruining him. The solution of Mike's problem is classic in its simplicity. Under pressure to show Mary Anne at her best, Mike digs the foundations of the town hall of Popperville, and in his haste forgets to leave a way out. This suggests to the ingenious townspeople that Mary Anne could easily be remodeled as a furnace an Mike, her master, retained to keep her heart and boiler warm.

From the dust jacket