Booklist Review

With a hardhat and a smile, Mr. Gilly strolls to work, where he blithely operates a wrecking-ball crane. As the endpapers foreshadow, a public library and city park have been planned, but first the old buildings must come down. Mr. Gilly rumbles to the site, where for four spreads he calmly wreaks havoc, described by the same exciting lines: "GO! Swing the ball, hit the wall! SMASH, SMASH, SMASH! Swing the ball, hit the wall, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH! CRUMBLE, TUMBLE, down goes brick. Is the demolition done? NO!" And repeat. Yaccarino's colorful two-dimensional cityscape just begs to be destroyed, but parents will be pleased that, once the buildings are reduced to rubble, the ever-pleasant Mr. Gilly switches to his bulldozer and makes a point of cleaning up the terrible mess he's made. It's a scene with undeniable parallels to a toddler's playtime--a loud, joyous demolition derby--that was made to be read aloud and will help the youngest readers channel their overabundant energy in a controlled, maybe even productive, manner.