By Andrea Zimmerman, David Clemesha, and Dan Yaccarino
Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town!
In the haze of toddler parenthood, you sometimes need something to ground you. To bring you back to the present moment. To remind you that there is some order in the universe.
For me, that something is, quite often, Mr. Gilly. And if, like me, you read that intro quote in a strange little sing-song voice in your head… well, I think Mr. Gilly is about to be your new best friend.
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What the Book is About
A trashman—Mr. Gilly—goes about his day collecting cans. At each stop, we repeat the refrain: “Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town!” Then we ask: “Is the trash truck full yet?” If the answer is “NO!” (usually the case) he moves on to the next stop. He visits places that will be familiar to little kids, like a pizza parlor and a doctor’s office, before finally taking all the trash to the dump.
Why I Love Trashy Town
There is something that makes me completely delirious about repeatedly yelling out the book’s melodious main sequence: “Dump it in, smash it down, drive around the Trashy Town! Is the trash truck full yet? NO!” Even if I start the book in a grumpy mood, I’m having great fun by about the second repetition. I can’t even fully explain it, this thing just sparks joy.
Worth noting a few bonus points for my kiddo (besides mom going crazy and yelling like a fool). It’s interactive, as he gets to answer the question (Is the trash truck full yet?) and learn to predict when it will get full. There are also mice (“mousies,” at our house) that follow Mr. Gilly around and watch him work. And like many toddlers, Mr. Gilly finishes his day with a nice soapy bath.
The Illustrations
The only thing that downgrades Trashy Town from the absolute top stratosphere is the illustrations. They’re (intentionally) super simple and blocky. I can kind of get it from a design perspective; it’s very distinctive and memorable.
But for little kids… they just want to see more stuff. Anytime a truck is picking up trash, my kid wants to point out the different things being scooped and dumped. Here, there’s sort of a wheel-like-thingy at the dump, and there’s a piece of pizza outside the pizza parlor, but that’s about it. Even the fire truck is basically just a boring red rectangle.
Final Verdict
My grade: A-. If I liked the illustrations better, it would be an A++. Definitely still highly recommend, just short of perfect.
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