Katy and the Big Snow

I ordered this book with expedited shipping so that I could take it on my trip to visit my grandson who loved the book when we got it out of the library. Michael not only gave me the promptest service ever, but he refunded $2.00 of the extra shipping cost since the book was so light, it could go first class rather than priority mail. That is above and beyond, and the book was in perfect condition as advertised.

Such a great book! We've always loved Mike Mulligan and Maryann and this is along the same lines. So much detail for a little guy, my two (18m and 3yrs) boys love it for different reasons. Katy saves the day, being a heavy duty snowplow and helps people all around town help others. So cute! Love the large lap book as well, makes the "excitement" of book reading a little less stressful. One my 18m boy can have at his level and I'm not worried about him tearing pages.

My sons, who are now in their 30s, really enjoyed all of Virginia Lee Burton's books when they were younger. This book is for my grandson who is 3 years old. It's great that her books are in print again!!!

the author who is also the illustrator has written many books all great for toddlers and young adults. this particular story wears well as the pictures paint the story while the book is being read. a must for real young libraries.

This book was my 1st Kindle ebook purchase after many successful purchases at Barnes & Noble. I have the kindle app for my iPad. I am completely disappointed! The graphics are terrible! If I had wanted a poorly scanned PDF whose pages didn't line up, I could have saved myself the $$ and foraged at the local used bookstore and probably found a better quality product. I am very hesitant to purchase any other children's books for fear of the same result.

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 ^_^

Katy is a municipal snow plow serving a small village who is hit by a massive snow storm. Adults who think it silly that machines are made to behave like people in picture books should remember the little engine that could. Katy has no doubt that she can tackle any snow, and when a massive snow storm hits, she is called to duty. The firemen, the police, the doctors, the postmaster, and others all cry out for help from Katy. When Katy began to tire, she pressed on - she wouldn't stop. She is the heroine who saves the village.

What makes this book more than interesting is that the author is also the illustrator, which means that there is thought behind these illustrations that they should intertwine with the dramatic plot of the text. Each illustration shows the trails plowed through the snow by Katy. With each progressive illustration, the trails become more numerous and complex to where they begin to look like maps. These illustrations partner nicley with the text to produce an emerging cadence in the dialogue.

This is one of Virginia Burton's best books. The story is simple and straightforward, but what really makes the book stand out are the illustrations. Readers can find many visual treats throughout the book. The town is symmetrical, there is a map with a simple key, and there are lots of little illustrations in the margins that are fun to explore.

Katy is the biggest strongest crawler tractor around. When the town is in trouble, they know they can count on Katy. This is a great book to read on a snowy day. "Mike Mulligan" and "The Little House" are a couple other titles by the same author worth checking out. Beware the Houghton Mifflin soft cover binding because it tends to fall apart. Stick with the hard cover.

Not the original, complete story. My son was given the board book editions of both "Katy and the Big Snow" and "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" as gifts because I had requested them. We had checked them out at the library several times and he loved them. However, several pages in each are missing. It is very disappointing. It doesn't seem to make that big of a difference to my toddler, but it drives me crazy.
If you have never read the books before or if you have a kid who loves construction equipment and just want a sturdier version of the book, they are fine. But if you are looking for the original, you may want to just go to the book store and make sure you know what you are getting.

Wonderful reading experience for the youngest of children, from an author whose work are classics! The board book is easy to handle, colors are vibrant and story incorporates familiar objects and experiences.

Wonderful reading experience for the youngest of children, from an author whose work are classics! The board book is easy to handle, colors are vibrant and story incorporates familiar objects and experiences.

Katy is the name of the very strong and indefatigable snowplow who saves the town. I was surprised that my 2.5 y.o daughter enjoyed this because the pictures are not very colorful, but love it she did! When seeing a snowplow in a storm not long after she pointed yelling "It's Katie!"