
Age rating and parents' guide:Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton
Ages 6–8
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton is best for children aged 6–8. It has no violence, nothing scary, no romance and no bad language.
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne prove their worth by digging a town-hall cellar in one day.
Content ratings
How much of each a parent can expect, from none to strong.
- Violence
- None
- Scary moments
- None
- Romance
- None
- Bad language
- None
Content checked by Dhiraj Bodade, co-founder of Bookstaken, on .
At a glance
- Picture book
- Easy to get into from the first page
- Plenty of illustrations
- Emotionally light
- A good pick for reluctant readers
Great for kids who like
- General fiction
Reading mood
- Playful
Books like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Similar stories for the same ages, none more intense than this one should be for its youngest readers.

Ages 6–8
Giraffes Can't Dance
by Giles Andreae
Gerald the giraffe believes he cannot dance until a friendly cricket helps him find his own rhythm.

Ages 6–8
Beautiful Oops!
by Barney Saltzberg
Interactive torn, folded, and painted pages show children how creative mistakes can become surprising works of art.

Ages 6–8
The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt
Overworked crayons write Duncan letters describing their complaints, demands, and reasons for abandoning the crayon box.
A good book is the start. A mentor makes it stick.
In a free 1:1 session, a trained Bookstaken mentor reads with your child, asks what they think and helps the reading habit last.



