Sometimes feeling overshadowed awakens superhero strengths—Thunder Pug shows the way.
The friendship that bloomed in Puddle Pug (2014) between a pug and his porcine pal is now being tested.
Percy the pug and Petunia the pig still love puddles. They also love playing hide-and-seek at night and giving great big puffs to dandelion seeds. But sometimes they do things separately, too. When Petunia goes to the Arlington County Fair and returns with a shiny blue ribbon, Percy is proud of his friend. But suddenly Petunia is very popular around the farm. Percy can’t spend any time with her anymore because she is always surrounded by admirers. Dejected, Percy sits in a puddle, alone. But a Thunder Man comic book changes his mind. Thunder Man has something cooler than a blue ribbon—a cape! Tying a towel around his neck and taking a bold leap off packages of pig chow, Percy becomes…Thunder Pug! But even heroic deeds seem lonely without someone to share them with. Perhaps a special swine sidekick will help save the day. Navigating friendships and popularity can be difficult for youngsters; Percy is a shining example of empowerment. He climbs out of that murky puddle and decides to help others. Yamaguchi’s pencil and digital illustrations leave plenty of room for expressive glee; her anthropomorphic animals are darling.
Sometimes feeling overshadowed awakens superhero strengths—Thunder Pug shows the way. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2358-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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