Thunder Pug

by Kim Norman, Keika Yamaguchi (Illustrator)

“Navigating friendships and popularity can be difficult for youngsters; Percy is a shining example of empowerment.” — Kirkus
“This sweet and giggle-inducing story carries a great message about how acceptance of a friend’s new role and a little independence can strengthen a friendship.” — Booklist

What’s a superhero without a sidekick? This delightful follow-up to the popular Puddle Pug brings back that perfectly THUNDER-ful pug-and-pig Percy and Petunia. 
 
Percy the Pug and Petunia the pig are the very best of pals . . . until Petunia wins a blue ribbon at the county fair. Suddenly, she has no time for hide-and-seek or lapping puddles, cheek-to-cheek. But when Percy finds a faded comic book in a puddle, the lonely pug dons a cape and takes on a new THUNDER PUG! Even though being a superhero is exciting, Percy knows he’s missing something. Only when “Pink Lightning” (aka Petunia) joins him, and the two are “side by sidekick” again, are they truly living the heroic life!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Friendship, Storytime, Animals, Superheroes

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 8, 2019

About the author

Kim Norman is the author of more than a dozen children’s books published by Sterling, Scholastic and two Penguin imprints. Titles include Ten on the Sled, (Sterling) which spent weeks on Barnes and Noble’s Top Ten bestseller list and has been released in Korean and German editions as well as appearing in Scholastic Book Fairs in schools around North America. I Know a Wee Piggy, was reviewed in the New York Times, and is listed on the Texas “2x2 Reading List,” as well being offered by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Kim has a long history of theater & musical performing, which she enjoys including in her school visits and presentations. Songs and videos on her website, kimnormanbooks.com

Reviews

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thunder Pug written by Kim Norman and illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi is adorable. I bought this to give to a friend who loves pugs, lost it and found it in a pile of books. Thunder Pug (aka Percy) is so cute and his story so sweet I’ll probably buy another copy of this book for myself. I’m a sucker for a good children’s picture book.

Percy the pug and Petunia the pig are friends and love doing things together. However, when Petunia enters the Arlington County Fair and wins a blue ribbon, she is more interested in her new-found popularity with her fellow farm-dwellers and neglects Percy. One day Percy finds an old comic book about the adventures of Thunder Man and that inspires him to find a cape and become Thunder Pug. Percy likes being Thunder Pug, but realizes he is missing something: a sidekick. But will Petunia be interested in the job?

This is seriously cute book with a nice message about friendship.

[Lilith Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy and Petunia are great friends. One day, they have to go on their own ways. When Petunia comes back, she has a nice ribbon that gets in the way of their friendship. Percy starts to feel left out. This all changed when they figure out a way to make their friendship work again.

I found this book to be very relatable to children. The story line is simple yet speaks to the individual child. Many children face ups and downs in their friendship. Through reading this book, children can open up and talk about how to overcome friendship difficulties.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine and were in no way influenced by outside sources. I am a professional blogger at Little Lady Plays

[Prince William Public Libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Percy the Pug and Petunia the Pig are best friends. Petunia wins big at the Arlington County Fair, and while Percy's happy for his friend, he feels lonely as Petunia receives accolade without him. He tries to entertain himself by creating a superhero alter-ego...but every superhero needs a sidekick.

-Amanda T.

http://librarycatalog.pwcgov.org/pola...

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!! So cute and adorable! This story is about a pig and a pug that are best friends. It has a beautiful lesson about friendship and helping others. The pictures are ADORABLE but really small, and should be read one-on-one to see all the tiny details.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at work for Picture Book Read-In 2019.

Very cute! Superhero pug and pig!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwww so cute! My puppy is half pug, and I had a pug when I was little, so this book is extra special to me. I love the pictures, I love the theme of friendship.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable, especially the expressions of the pug and pig. A heartfelt story about friendship overcoming challenges and how to help others.

[Grace Huey · Rating 5 out of 5]

She likes when Thunderpug rescued the animals.


No help needed words: carving, dandelion, puddles, returned, offered, trampled, rescued, tickled, lightning, climbed, learned, spiderwebs, turtles, together

Help needed words: twilight, content, county, seriously, spotted, peculiar, faded, strong, plunging, sailors, special, exciting, satisfying, aboard, prickly, struggled, heroic, hedgehogs

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a cute pug and a sweet pig, this is a tale which promises laughs, understand and tons of friendship.

Percy the pug is best friends with Petunia the pig, and they do everything together. One day, Petunia takes off and returns with a blue ribbon! Percy wants to congratulate her, but nothing works out. Soon, he sad and wants to find something wonderful on his own. When he runs across a comic book with a superhero, Thunder Pug is born! He's off to save...well, whatever he can. But something isn't right.

As a fan of pugs and cute, little pigs, this was a hit with my family from the very first page. Percy is an adorable, energetic ball of playfulness and adventure, which draws in and makes listeners want to have him as a friend of their own. Pig makes the perfect side-kick. The friendship between the two is golden and inspiring as every moment they spend together radiates happiness. The author is sure, however, to include that they do enjoy time by themselves two. When this perfect friendship is marred, it's hard not to feel sorry for Percy. Little listeners will easily relate to this feeling, and be excited when he discovers his new calling as Thunder Pug.

The illustrations and text go hand-in-hand. The wording is simple enough for younger listeners to easily understand, and keeps the pace high. The illustrations glide right along, adding the needed emotion and little details to make the tale come to life. The illustrations are not overly bright and hold a gentle tone. It's nicely put together for a great read-aloud. The message is clear and inspiring, keeping friendship at the center point, and the adventure never runs to extreme, making it great for the age group.

I received a complimentary copy, and this book was so enjoyed by all of us that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thunder Pug by Kim Norman, illustrated by Keika Tyamaguchi. PICTURE BOOK. Sterling Childrens Books, 2018. $17. 9781454923589

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3)– OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Percy is a pug and Petunia is a pig, they are great friends. They do everything together. When Petunia wins a blue ribbon at the fair, she suddenly has lots of friends and no time for Percy. He is sad, and decides to become a super hero. Turns out he is not so great at it and needs a sidekick, and just in time he finds one. Large illustrations with harmonious colors.

First off the illustrations in this book are flat out adorable and so charming!!! The story was just ok- I still don’t get why Petunia all the sudden has time for Percy, that part just doesn’t make sense. Even an extra page where she realizes she misses him then he isn’t at any of their usual play places and then she discovers his antics -would have clarified things. Also Percy’s desire to be a superhero is just for the cape and to feel special –not to help others (though he tries to do so), and that's not great. I wish I could say essential just for the art, but the story just isn’t quite there.

Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Lynn Schlatter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was prepared to really like this tale of a dog who finds a comic book and a towel and becomes Thunder Pug. The art is wonderfully kinetic and the story does a great job of illustrating how Thunder Pug and his friend (Lightning Pig!) sometimes do things together and sometimes do things apart and like to help the other animals and . . . Oh, for crying out loud! Is that a subplot about the pig winning a blue ribbon at a county fair? And is there some tension about whether our two intrepid heroes will actually be able to save one group of bugs?

What I'm saying is that Thunder Pug has too much going on for one book. Mo Willems would've made three or four different, really satisfying stories with this material.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun picture books celebrates friendship with the story of Percy the pug and Petunia the pig. These two do just about everything together, but occasionally they do things separately. When Petunia wins a blue ribbon in a pig contest, it seems that she's too swept up in all the congratulatory excitement to do things with Percy any more. Percy becomes inspired by a comic book to tie a cape around his neck and become Thunder Pug. But even with his new superhero activities, he misses his friend. Young readers will enjoy finding out how these two buddies find their way back together. This could be a good mentor text for young writers that want to share their own friendship stories.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about all guys who struggle with their wives, girlfriends, younger siblings, etc. being successful. When Petunia wins a ribbon, Thunder Pug can't deal with his feelings of inadequacy or being left out, so he works to improve himself by becoming a superhero. He is successful, Petunia shows up to be his sidekick, and all is right with the world again.

I love that he finds a way to be successful without blaming or taking it out on Petunia, but I really wish she could be described as being a superhero in her own right rather than just a sidekick.

The illustrations are cheerful and upbeat, showing the joy of imaginative play with friends.

[Sheri Hoyte Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thunder Pug is a tender story about friendship featuring a delightful pug named Percy and a pig named Petunia. Percy and Petunia do so many things together and clearly cherish each other. They also do many things independent of each other and the importance of individualism is stressed as well as the connection of friendship. The story shows that relationships change and can grow stronger because of the different individual experiences each party brings to the relationship.

Full review on www.sherihoytebooks.com

[Maureen Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% have tears in my eyes right now. Such a RELATEABLE story! The hardest parts of friendship is within this story - a change within the friendship, one friend getting accolades while another one cheers from the sides, wanting to be apart of their lives, but still needing to find yourself within the relationship, and just being able to enjoy the friendship when things change. LOVELY STORY...and the illustrations are ADORABLE!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book and had to read it. My parents had a little pug dog and she was just adorable. So whenever I come across a pug book I need to read it. It was cute but not much to it. Some of the time it was written in rhyme. I think if you do that it needs to be that way all the time. A good little story about friendship and helping others. I don't know if it will keep kids interested though. I liked the illustrations. Thunder Pug and Pink Lightning were very cute.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our family loved Percy in Puddle Pug and were so excited to follow his story in Thunder Pug. The illustrations are adorable and sweet and the story is funny and endearing. I hope there are more Percy the Pug stories coming!!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute book with adorable illustrations. I did get sad at one part for the pug, but the book ends on a sweet and happy note. I would say the theme of the book is friendship of a pug and a pig. Both are so cute! The text rhymes which makes the book flow nicely.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read the adorable THUNDER PUG, by Kim Norman & Keika Yamaguchi. Sometimes we all need to get creative when our friends find sudden glory 😅 I love the mostly prose but bits of rhyme text and the sweet art.

[Brittany Cavness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cutest children's book I have read in a long time!

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was only okay, but the illustrations are just too adorable.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute friendship story between a Pig and Pug. Pig wins a blue ribbon and Pug feels not so special. Until Pug realizes he can be a super hero and together they do wonderful things.

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

creative!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the fun story.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

so freaking cute. Best friends letting each other shine while having each others' backs and helping others. LOVE this book!

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Ziara Albritton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Navigating friendships can be tough, even for a pug and a pig! Adorable story about the meaning of real, friendship.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute with great illustrations! The little pug reminded my daughter of Rolley from the Disney show Puppy Dog Pals.

[Amanda Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO CUTE. And that title! I love it!