The Adventures of Chuck & Friends: Monster Rally

In this animated series starring familiar Tonka truck toys from Hasbro, young dump truck Chuck and his friends Handy, Digger, Biggs, Rally, Soku, and Boomer—as well as Chuck's big brother, Rowdy—spend their days playing in a scrap yard, where they often (inadvertently) get into a little mischief. In “Where There's a Wheel,” Chuck goes to dangerous lengths to attract some attention, taking a set of fat tires intended for the larger Rowdy and finding himself in trouble on the road. In “Hop, Skip & a Jump,” Chuck gets it into his head that he and his crew should become circus acrobats, with near-disastrous consequences. “Daredevil Chuck” is a cautionary story for kids about the dangers of accepting dares, while “Attack of the 50-Foot Chuck”—the best and funniest episode here—finds the characters building their own giant monster truck out of scrap parts, and watching it quickly careen out of control. Compiling 10 episodes, this is an engaging series with winsome characters who learn to cooperate in order to solve problems. Bonus features include a sing-along song. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)