I'm Brave!

The latest animated adaptation of a title in author and illustrator couple Kate and Jim McMullan's popular picture book series (I Stink! [VL-9/04], I'm Fast! [VL-7/13]), I'm Brave! (based on the 2014 book) centers on a firehouse and a busy anthropomorphic fire truck (drawlingly narrated by Jonathan Banks). From a sound sleep, the gang at the firehouse is spurred into action by a rousing clang. The truck describes his key attributes, including a shiny radiator, water cannon, tool box, hydrant wrenches, duck-billed lock breakers, etc. After the dispatchers sound the alarm, the truck and his crew use blinkers, flashers, strobes, and a transmitter (“Give me the green!”) to get into position and put out a fire, with proper clean-up afterwards. In addition to a read-along option, extras include the bonus featurette “Learning About Fire Fighting Tools,” with a September 2014 interview featuring Kate McMullan and Jim Wind of FDNY's Ladder 3. Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)