Billy Bog Brush wakes up to a peaceful, quiet day but soon hears a scream. The day is now getting exciting. Billy climbs out his family’s cat flap and runs down the street where Mrs. Brown is standing outside in great distress. Her grandson is asleep inside her house, there is smoke, the door is locked behind her, and the fire brigade is on the way. She is worried they will be too late, so Billy climbs in through Mrs. Brown’s cat flap to get the keys to the front door. Being small, Billy must balance on the stair banister to reach the keys. He carefully balances on the rail and jumps toward the key hook. Once he has the keys, Billy climbs back through the cat flap to give Mrs. Brown her keys just as the fire brigade arrives. She unlocks the door, and the firefighters rush in and bring out Mrs. Brown’s sleepy grandson. As a reward for Billy’s bravery, he gets to ride on the firetruck with the firemen.

Campbell and Constable have created an engaging children’s story about a brave, audacious, brush-like character named Billy. This hero inspires young readers to be brave just as Billy braved a fire to get the keys to Mrs. Brown’s house. The authors also encourage readers to assist others in need because at some time everyone will need help. Campbell and Constable show children how problems can be solved by thinking about the situation, developing a plan of action, and working through the problem carefully—just as Billy had to do in order to get Mrs. Brown’s keys. Furthermore, the authors give the young readers an artistic, creative outlet at the end of the story by adding pages with questions about the story for readers to answer in a drawing.

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