Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel And Other Stories

Another fine set of children's stories brought to colorful life by the genius of Weston Woods. This volume begins with Robert McCloskey's Burt Dow: Deep Water Man, the story of a fisherman, his leaky boat (the Tidely-Idley), his pet parrot, and the wonderful adventure they have when they encounter a whale on the high seas. Winner of the Chris Bronze Plaque Award from the Columbus Film Festival. The second story, Tomi Ungerer's Moon Man, is a beautifully animated philosophical short about the man in the moon who, upon hearing the joyous sounds of dance emanating from earth, catches the tail of a comet, and arrives earthside full of hope. Branded an alien, the 'moon man' is promptly jailed (although he very cleverly slips through the bars during quarter moon). Following his escape, he runs into a weird scientist who aids in his return to the moon. Winner of the Silver Award from the Houston International Film Festival. Virginia Lee Burton's classic Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel concludes the collection. This timeless tale of a boy and his steam shovel (Mary Anne), who must fight to survive the encroachment of big diesel machines, uses the original illustrations. Highly recommended for public libraries. (Available from CC Studios, Weston, CT 06883).