Smash! Crash!: Jon Scieszka's Trucktown    by Jon Scieszka & et al Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2008 (2008) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Smash! Crash!, the first of a planned fifty-two books (over four years) in Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series, stars two small trucks, Jack and Dan, who are also best buddies. Reading it reminded me of watching my sons and their friends play with toy trucks in their sandbox many years ago ... Smash! Crash! pretty well described the action! Here Jon Scieszka tells a story of Jack and Dan out looking for fun and for other friends to share it with, all the while pursued by a mysterious someone who keeps calling 'HEY, YOU TWO ...' in a big voice. Every time it happens, 'Jack and Dan hit the road. / "Uh-oh." / "Got to go!"' They make a mess for Cement Mixer Melvin, stack Monster Truck Max's barrels, and build a pirate fort for Gabriella Garbage Truck and Grader Kat. When Wrecking Crane Rosie catches up with them, they finally learn what she wants from them in a wonderful fold-up two page spread. The small trucks' bright, shining faces and sense of mischief have all the appeal of the little engines in the Thomas the Tank Engine series that enchanted my own sons when they were small. Illustrators David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon give their varied trucks expressive faces as well as bright and busy Trucktown settings. Small boys will revel in the Trucktown series in general and its Smash! Crash! debut in particular. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews