Thunder Pug by Kim Norman, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

Long ago, I reviewed the first book in this series, Puddle Pug, even though I've never been a fan of pugs, and found that it was such a sweet story that I fell in love. So I was very excited to see another book in the series, even though it's been five years!

Percy the Pug and Petunia the Pig are best friends... until Petunia wins a prize. Now everyone is eager to congratulate her, play with her, and she's got so many fans she doesn't need Percy any more. Percy decides to do something on his own - be a superhero! He gets a cape and becomes Thunder Pug, coming to the rescue of animals everywhere, big and small! But it's just not the same without Petunia. Maybe they both still need each other?

Pastel spot illustrations show a cute pug and slightly smaller, plump pink pig. Percy and Petunia have humorously expressive faces that express sadness, determination, and worry. Careful readers will see that Petunia isn't necessarily happy with her fans, while Percy has mixed feelings about his superhero work. On the surface, this is a funny story about friendship with two cute animals and lots of silly adventures. But underneath it has a gentle lesson about how to react when you feel overshadowed or lacking in talent and ability. Although Percy still misses his friend, he turns his feelings outward and starts helping others, which makes him feel better even if he's not always good at it.

Verdict: A sweet book with humor and a gentle lesson that fans of cute animals will grab off the shelf. It will also make a great storytime read, especially for preschool and kindergarten listeners.

ISBN: 9781454923589; Published January 2019 by Sterling; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library