Here’s a book about a robot who likes to ... SMASH! He’ll smash the usual things, like flowers and soda cans, but that’s just the beginning. This smash-happy guy crushes everything from pirates, ninjas and zombies to Brussels sprouts and all-talk radio. Whatever it is, he’ll gleefully SMASH it to smithereens. One day, he finally meets something he doesn’t feel like smashing: a stylish, super-smashing girl-robot four times his size with sledgehammer hands as big as garbage trucks. Instantly, he’s smitten. But while he’s deep in daydreams about their robot romance — SMASH! The oblivious girl robot crushes him flat. It might just be the beginning of a perfect relationship. Minimal text and retro-style 8-bit illustrations lend this story the characteristic feel of an old video game, with each smashed object yielding a bright burst of pixels. Joyful destruction takes center stage in this fun, unique play on what it means to suffer your first crush.Stephen W. Martin, Juan Carlos Solon
