Product Description

Katy, a brave and untiring tractor, who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151168 in Books
• Published on: 1973-08-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780395181553
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
This old-fashioned tale about one little snowplow's determination in the face of a small-town blizzard has all the charm and moral grit of The Little Engine That Could. This isn't surprising, considering that Caldecott Medal-winning author Virginia Lee Burton (The Little House) specializes in bringing the inanimate to life with endearing illustrations and stories of fortitude and vulnerability. Katy, a red crawler tractor, "could do a lot of things," Burton explains early on. In the summer she is a bulldozer, helping to build and repair roads in the city of Geoppolis. In the winter, she turns into a snowplow, waiting and waiting for her chance to be useful. Most of the winters, though, the snowfalls are mild and the town doesn't need Katy. But when the big one finally hits, the town is buried in page after page of powder. The power lines are down. The doctor can't get his patient to the hospital. The fire department can't reach a burning house! "Everyone and everything was stopped but... KATY!" Suddenly, the entire community is dependent on one little snowplow. Children love witnessing Katy's shining moment of glory and will inevitably admire her "chug, chug, chug" endurance. (Ages 4 and older) --Gail Hudson

Review
"Bright, vigorous pictures with plenty of action and endless detail portray Katy at work for the Highway Department of the city of Geoppolis." -- Review

Review

Customer Reviews

A classic that enchants my son
For some reason it always surprises me a little that my older son loves classic children's books like this one so much. It shouldn't---they are classics for a reason! This book has so many great little details---the map of the town, the images of the town slowly being opened up to activity by being plowed out, and of course the train and tracks which makes the book for my son! He loves the idea also that Katy is tired at the end of the big day---it's started real discussions about whether machines can really be tired, and I think helped him understand how authors can fictionalize things to give you a feeling for the themes and ideas in a book.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
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 ^_^

Hard to believe, I still remember
At 51 years of age and very recently a first time grandfather with the aid of Amazon.com I started searching for my favorite stories from decades ago. All of Dr.Suess and the Little Engine That Could to Thorton Burgess's many publications that make me smile so many years later. Of all my past memories Katy and the Big Snow was one that I checked out of our local Library at least 3 times a month. It taught me that determination is most important in acheiving goals and that good things come to those who wait and endure. These are the types of books our younger generation should be reading instead of what is available on television these days. I hope someday my Grandchildren will come to enjoy this book as I have.