Trashy Town

When you're a children's librarian that has to perform multiple storytimes every week, you acquire a kind of ear for picture books that read aloud well. For example, reading aloud "Horton Hatches the Egg" works well for a single child, but for a large group it's just too darn long. And unless you have a real rhythm going with "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", don't try to perform it just off the top of your head. Then there are books like Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha's delicious, "Trashy Town". Combining a jaunty rhythmic story about a trash man on the job with the overly accomplished Dan Yaccarino's illustrations, "Trashy Town" falls into the category of "godsend" when it comes to books for big groups o' kiddies. Mr. Gilly has a swell job. He's the trash man doing the route around his Trashy Town. With a perpetual look of benign happiness set on his face, Mr. Gilly visits the local school, the park, the pizza parlor, and even the doctor's office. Each time he collects some trash the text reads, "Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town! Is the trash truck full yet? NO". Reading this book aloud, kids can yell, "NO!" when they get to this part. Eventually, however, Mr. Gilly has finished for the day. The town is clean, the trash is deposited at the dump, and when Mr. Gilly gets home there's only one more thing to clean up. "Time for a bath, Mr. Gilly!". Mr. Yaccarino has a signature style that has yet to be replicated by any illustrator out there. He's probably best known for being responsible, in part, for the picture book "Oswald", later turned into a Nick Jr. television show. In this book he fills the pages with simplified, almost retro images. These pictures are remarkably simple but convey the story beautifully. Likewise, the text is catchy. Kids reading it will learn it by heart pretty darn quick and will be able to do their own renditions of it at home. For a storytime saluting garbage carriers everywhere, consider pairing "Trashy Town" with the slightly older, "I Stink" by Kate McMullan for a truly trash-centric program. And if you read this book and don't find yourself chanting, "Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town", I'll eat my hat.

One of the things that early childhood educators say is important for young children is to be exposed to poems and other rhythmic literature. And it is, they tell us, helpful for kids to learn to recite. It is for these and other reasons that I really, really like this book. Not only is the artwork fun and `cleanly' charming, but the topic is interesting to children and the words are just repetitive enough to make it a great read... and a great recite! For example, we will be out fooling around in the yard and someone will simply yell, "Is the trash truck full yet?" and the rest of us (including hubby) will shout yes or no; and then we will be off reciting the whole piece. What better evidence than that and the constant calls for `again, again' can you provide to prove that a book is good. Note: The other commentator was correct. I think that the age ranges are incorrect. I would think 6 and under would be more appropriate.

About the best thing to be said about any children's book is that your children ask for it to be read over and over again.From the moment I brought "Trashy Town" home, my three year old son could not get enough of it. The repetitive, but clever text by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha begs for the kids to interact with trash collector Mr. Gilly as he cheerfully makes his appointed rounds about the trashy town. And for parents, this book lets you run with the sing-song quality of the text and make this a fun read. But the story would be only a story without the minimalist illustrations of Dan Yaccarino (of TV's "Oswald" the Octopus fame on Nick Jr.) Yaccarino captures the dirty work with his signature painting style, giving "Trashy Town" a bold graphic look that youngsters love. An absolutely perfect book for the under five crowd.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I got this book for my son when he was about fourteen months old (he's now 2 1/2) He has loved it from the begining. First because it was about garbage trucks and then because of its entertaining repetitiveness. Soon we would hear him shout "Stop! Mr. Gilly emptied all the cans from behind the doctors office". Now he can practically read this book to us by looking at the pictures. Great fun for the whole family!

Trashy Town is my three-year-old son's favorite book. Evan loves to read along as Mr. Gilly, the garbage man travels around town, stopping at all the cool places to empty the trash into his big trash truck. With it's simple, repetative verse, Evan quickly was able to identify many of the words in the text and before long was "reading" the story to me. We've read it so much, that Evan now has it memorized and can literally recite it and I often hear him doing so at night in the darkness of his bedroom. Even so, niether of us have grown bored of this delightful story as we have with so many other books. These days,Evan often embellishes the story, such as "Mr. Gilly goes home . . . and makes dinner!" "Mr. Gilly stops to fix the broken swings in the park." Trashy town also inspires creative (and constructive) play. Evan dons his "heavy gloves" -- my gardening gloves, socks, whatever's handy -- and sets out to clean up his own trashy town, the playroom. It's a good read before bathtime as well, since it ends with Mr. Gilly taking a bath. As wonderful as the story is, the best part of the book is Dan Yaccarino's magical illustrations. I bought this book sight unseen based soley on his name. We already had several books illustrated and/or written by this incredibly talented artist. His vivid pictures appeal to both child and parent. Evan sees himself in every portrait. I recommend this book for any child who rises early on collection day to catch a glimpse of the garbage truck. It's not just for little kids. My five year old nephew loves it too!