Slide 1

My Papaw is a Coal MinerWritten and Illustrated by Madison Brooke Tackett

My Papaw is a coal miner, and he told me all about just where he goes with his hard hatand lunch pail when he goes out.

Mine EntranceTo the mines is where I go down deep undergroundI dig up coal from the EarthAnd pile it in a mound.

Down, Down, Underground!He goes way beneath the rockto where the worms and groundhogs liveall around the clock.

First I dig the coal with a machinethat works like a pick and shovel while other big machines clear out all the rubble.

Then, I start to go back up And load it in my great big truck. I drive a Caterpillar,he said with a smile.Its a big loading truckthat I can drive for a mile!

When I reach the topand Im out of the mines,Im really glad to be back up where the sunlight shines.

I take my load and dump it outonto a train that goes about from market to market and place to placeuntil it has been to every space. Then, its delivered to where it can be made into things for you and for me!

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So, now I know just what you dowhen you go off to work,but what does coal do for us?I questioned with a smirk.

We use coal for electricityto give our world some power.Coal is the reason a light bulb worksand lights up every tower!

GasolineCoal is used for other things, too,like making plastic and steel.It powers your car with gasoline and lets you heat a meal.

I never knew how cool coal wasuntil you told me all abouteverything it does for me and how to mine it out!I love you, darling,more than you know. I show you how by mining some coal.

The End!