Readers familiar with Virginia Lee Burton will know her penchant for bringing inanimate objects to life. This is a wonderful addition to those books, perfect for young children between the ages of 2 and 6. This story was a favorite in my household when I was a child, much to the dismay of my mother who wished we would select anything else for a change! (She got sick of reading it more than once a week) ^_^

The star of this book, in case anyone hasn't guessed, is a tractor named Katy who is a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter in the city of Geopolis. Geopolis could be any small city. When a huge blizzard leaves several feet of snow behind, it is up to Katy to save the day, getting everyone where they need to go in Geopolis. As the only vehicle that hasn't been stopped by the snow, Katy must prove her toughness and sense of duty by spending the whole day clearing the streets, earning a satisfying and well-needed rest at the end of the story. That's really the whole story. Sound a bit uneventful? Well, yes. There's never a doubt that Katy will succeed in her task. There isn't a great deal of interaction with human characters besides getting them where they are going. So for a child who wants a complex plot more along the lines of MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL, they may be disappointed. But, as I said, this book was a favorite in my house, and there were several reasons why.

Repetition: stories for younger children with regularly repeated phrases like this one are worthwhile to the listener, if not always the reader. Throughout the book the main line-`"Follow me," said Katy'--is repeated every time Katy happens across more citizens in need. Children will soon be providing that line on their own in the course of the story. Maps: This was my first real introduction to maps, and it's a great tool for enabling your child to understand how maps work as they follow Katy's route through Geopolis. They can trace her path on the page, and find the places she's headed to or hasn't plowed out yet. You can begin to discuss concepts of North, South, East and West with them, and maybe even break out maps of your own city or town for their perusal and comparison. The pictures are simply drawn with lovely borders, and their young audience easily understands them. Snow: It's a great introduction to what can happen during a snowstorm and the kind of trucks needed to clear the way. It's a crisis without ever being a scary crisis for kids and still addresses the problems of a blizzard-getting a patient to the hospitals, getting the firemen to a fire, getting the kids to school.

For the most part, I don't recommend this book for older children. Even five and six year-olds might have outgrown this, unless they're reading the book on their own. But it's a great book to read to younger children, especially if you live in a snowy clime! If this is your first experience with this author, I highly recommend you check out MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL and THE LITTLE HOUSE.

Happy Reading! Shanshad ^_^

If you have a little tractor lover in your house, or just big machines, this book is a must. But, it's also cute for girls too - I read and loved it as a child too. I don't agree with the above write up - comparing it to "The Little Engine That Could." Katy just loves to work and knows that it's up to her alone to dig out the City of Geoppolis from under the blizzard. All the snow plows break down under the weight of the snow, which is up to second story windows, and she saves a patient, a house and even the electric, water and gas lines. What's totally neat, even though they say this is for four-year-olds, is that there are maps throughout the book of the town of Geoppolis which is really fantastic. All throughout the story, it gives directions as to which side of town Katy is digging. So, they show a map, give a number and children can find exactly where she is in the story. It's just a very neat way to introduce kids to map reading at a very early age. There's even a large map in the center of the book of the entire town, each site is numbered and the legend is surrounding the two centerfold pages. What an educational book this really is! It just isn't about a tractor and snow! Great, great book and a true favorite in our house.

Wonderful childrens book, enjoyable machinery come to life displaying a snow truck as a child. Lovely illustrations although remincent of the 50's.

My 4-year-old and I both adore Virginia Lee Burton's books. Neither of us can get enough of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel," and "The Little House." So we were excited when we ordered this from Amazon. But it lacks the magic of the aforementioned books. There is no "human element" as in the other two books and it lacks the drama. The plot is relatively mundane - you can only get so much mileage out of snow plowing city streets. Having said that, the illustrations, as in her other books, are beautiful. I particularly like touches such as little vignettes around the border of the pages, and a great map of the town. Against other children books, it's still very good, if only for the artwork. In fairness, Burton set the bar pretty high for herself with her other books.
(This review pertains to the Library Binding version of the book)

Purchased this book from Amazon.com and in short order it has become my 3 year old son's favorite bed-time book. Brady, a tractor fanatic, has the pages worn on this one already.