Smash! Crash! Jon Scieszka's Trucktown :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review
Welcome to Jon Scieszka's Trucktown, a brand-new preschool/kindergarten series that will come in more shapes, sizes, and formats than you can shake a bumper at. It's a world where all the characters are trucks, all the stories are action driven, and boys and girls can imagine themselves in all their crazy, loud, funny, creative, excited, full-throttle glory! It's a world where we work at play, and we play at work... and no one's afraid to get dirty or be LOUD! And it all kicks off with Smash! Crash! best friends Jack and Dan are spending their day doing what they do best--smashing and crashing! All the while a strange shadow is following them around every corner... Who is this new addition to Trucktown? What does she want? Rhythmic, rollicking text will get kids' motors running and horns honking with each refrain! This is a book that begs to be read again and again!

Meet the Trucktown Gang

Jack Truck
Jack is a prankster action hero! He is active, rowdy, messy, loud and goofy. He is the fastest truck and the best-at-truck-sports truck. Jack's work is to play. And he plays, and plays, and plays, and plays.

Dump Truck Dan
Dan is Jack Truck's best friend. He is one strong truck and loves to show off that strength, whether its pushing rocks, loading up dirt, or getting into trouble with Jack.

Payloader Pete
Pete is Dan's brother, and he is loud, rough, tough and competitive! But he's also the most loyal friend a truck could have. As he puts it "I would take a punch in the grill for those guys."

Cement Mixer Melvin
"I'm worried!" and "I don't want to" are two of Melvin's favorite phrases. He is a loveable worrier, which is good because he LOVES to worry.

Gabriella Garbage Truck
Gabriella knows everyone and everything. She's a social butterfly and maybe bit of a know-it-all, but still a blast to have around. She can always talk about what's going on! And talk... and talk... and...

Monster Truck Max
Max is everything you would expect a monster truck to be. Especially ACTIVE! He is oversized, jacked up, and nitro-boosted to the MAX! He's always getting his wild self into trouble and it's a good thing he's got good friends like Jack and Dan to help him along the way.

Grader Kat
Sensitive, creative, and mature, Grader Kat is the most artistic truck around. Don't believe it? Check out her tire treads! Her creative ideas and experimental nature make her a great addition to any adventure.

Wrecker Rosie
Rosie is big. Rosie is a wrecker. Rosie is a great big wrecker sweet and clumsy and who lives to bounce about wrecking things. But beneath all that noise and wreckage there is also a very big heart.

Tow Truck Ted
Tow Truck Ted is smart--really smart. He knows more about truck mechanics, repair, history, and even truck mythology than anybody else. But watch out, he's also got a sly side and he's always got a plan.

Izzy Ice Cream Truck
Izzy is an ice cream truck. He sells ice cream and only ice cream. And he says only one thing--"Do you want ice cream? Do you want ice cream? Do you want ice cream?"

Hook and Ladder Lucy and Pumper Pat
These fire truck twins are responsible, do-gooder citizens. Practically always together, they love doing things the right way. Lucy thinks they are being responsible. Jack and Dan think they’re a little bossy.

Big Rig
Big Rig is a bully. He's a tailgating, horn blasting, black exhaust spewing, license expired, outlaw. And those might be the nicest things you could say about him. The best thing to do with this guy is steer clear.

Rescue Rita
Rita is Lucy and Pat's little sister. And the biggest tag-a-long... She just wants to join in on all.

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Customer Reviews

Bad Message, Sloppy Storytelling - I recycled it on Day Two

2008-05-20
I cannot understand the good reviews of this book, other than to surmise that perhaps it's a case of the author asking his family and friends to review him favorably as a favor. The pictures are cute but the storytelling is AWFUL (i.e., there IS no story), and the characters have unimaginative names ("Gabriella Garbage Truck?" Please.). My two year old loved the pictures but I honestly cannot even bear to read him this book--I punted it to my husband and he came out of my son's room after bedtime asking me, "Who the h*ll bought us this? It's cr@p!" Even a picture book with no words would be better than this. You can't even follow the story, and what little discernible dialogue the characters DO have, it is used to send bad messages "I can't talk to you, I'm too busy" "I don't want to talk to her..." and someone calling for the juvenile characters and they go and hide. My husband suggested I "donate" it to my son's school, but I don't think ANY child should read this book, it's that bad. I won't even take it to the salvation army. It ended up in my paper recycling bin--eleven dollars of NOTHING. Don't waste your money. Worst children's book ever read, I simply cannot understand the good reviews.

Son Loves Smash Crash

2008-05-19
My 2 year old son ask to read this book every night before bed and even during the day. If your child is a truck lover he/she will enjoy this book too!

Awesome book for little boys

2008-05-05
My two year old son loves this story. I teach 6th grade and will read it to my 6th graders also. Awesome book especially for boys!!

Endearing Characters

2008-05-02
This is the first book we've gotten my 2-year-old son to sit still long enough to read once, let alone nearly every night at bed time. The writing lends itself to energetic storytelling, and the author manages to convey a great deal about each of the characters with just a few sentences from them. I can hear the voice of a different friend in each of them. I highly recommend this book for all kids, but those who love trucks will definitely love it.

Smashing Hit!

2008-04-28
Before even having kids of my own, I'd been a collector of Jon Scieszka's books for years. I am so happy that he has come out with this new Trucktown series! I have a 2 year old son who just LOVES this book-we read it almost every night! He loves the storyline, the illustrations, and most of all Jack Truck and Dump Truck Dan! The characters are so creative and wonderfully personified.

We can't wait for the rest of the Trucktown series books to come out. This book is a huge hit in our house, and we all highly recommend it!

Great Book

2008-07-08
My 4 year old son makes me read this to him 3 and 4 times in a row. He has his favorite parts memorized. Looking forward to buying more books by this author in this series.

Love it

2008-07-04
My 3 year old loves this book so much - he especially loves to yell "Smash Crash Smash Crash' every time it occurs in the book. Nice rhymes, but not overly rhymed. We can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.

Bad story

2008-06-09
I hate this book! Unfortunately, my son likes it! The story is all over the place. This book is going to be donated because I can't stand to read it again.

Smash Crash is a SMASH!

2008-06-03
Smash Crash is another wonderful irreverant children's book by Jon Scieszka. Aimed primarily at boys it is the beginning of a new series.

too bad some people don't get it

2008-06-02
I must admit when I first read this book to my 3 year olds, I didn't get it at all. It is an odd, disjointed story. But they love it! And I got to thinking, isn't it great that my preconceived notions can be challenged every once in a while. And isn't that the reason we have kids?