Smashy Town

Mr. Gilly is a demolition man with a job to do. This old building must come down to make room for a new library and city park. He smashes into the building. There goes the brick, then wood, glass, then stone, then time for the clean-up. Now the demolition is done, and Mr. Gilly’s work is complete.

My six-year-old son really got into this book. He loved the rhythm of the section of the demolition: “Go! Swing the ball, hit the wall! Smash, Smash, Smash! Swing the ball, hit the wall! Crash, Crash, Crash!” He also thought the book was awesome because it was Mr. Gilly’s job to smash stuff.

My three-year-old daughter liked the book too. She enjoyed the active pictures and rhythm and repetition of the demolition words.

The illustrations were great! I loved how active they were, with colors meant for a city scene. I loved the use of end papers showing the old buildings and then the new library and park.

The text was fun and interactive. I really liked the repetition part of the demolition as well. My only wish is that the text had rhymed all the way through.