Side by Sidekick! Thunder Pug by Kim Norman

Percy was a pug and Petunia was a pig.

Even so, they loved doing many of the same things.

Percy and Petunia are pals who pair up to play every day.

Of course, they pursue separate activities, too. Pug chomps bones, and Petunia prefers vegetarian provender. But they get together at dusk to play hide-and-seek and lap at puddles, jowl to cheek.

But then Petunia goes off to be shown at the County Fair and comes back a celebrity ...

... wearing a blue ribbon!

Percy is displaced by Petunia's admirers. The animals cheer and parade her around the place on their shoulders. Pug can't even get close enough to give her a high-five.

And she wears that blasted blue ribbon everywhere she goes!

Pug is suddenly a person of no importance to Petunia. He's got to find a way to up his game. And then he spots a discarded comic book about a dashing, daring caped crusader.

Percy the Pug picks up a pig chow sack and and converts it into a superhero cape, and VOILA!

THUNDER PUG TO THE RESCUE!

Percy Thunder Pug leaps to rescue baby chicks from stinky skunks and bathing baby birds from deep puddles. It's fun, but there's still something missing from his super persona.

What this superhero needs is--a sidekick!

And suddenly, there she is, Petunia the Super Star, in blue ribbon and... cape!

PINK LIGHTNING!

Superhero and sidekick pair up to do daring good deeds... and together they are ...

THUNDERFUL!

Pug and Pig are a new dynamic duo in Kim Norman's latest in series, Thunder Pug (Sterling Children's Books, 2019), a sweet story which affirms the way that friendships can be reborn through changes in fame and fortune. Author Norman's narration flows with spot-on text, and Keika Yamaguchi's artwork is perfect for Norman's characters, with soft digital watercolors and page design that places the illustrations in spot art, in full-bleed single-page style, and humorous action which flows over double page spreads as both characters come together. A solid theme of independence and togetherness that soars!

Pair this one with Norman and Yamaguchi's first collaboration in this series, Puddle Pug.

Mega Hero: Super Jumbo by Fred Koehler

FOR LITTLE JUMBO, BEING A SUPER HERO WAS NOT AN EASY JOB.

NO ONE SEEMED TO APPRECIATE HIS SUPER STRENGTH,

HIS SPEED,

OR HIS EXPERT CRIME-FIGHTING TECHNIQUES.

Little Jumbo seems to have watched a lot of super hero cartoons. He cuts himself a chunk of the living room drapes to serve as a cape. SHAZAM! Instant caped crusader! Dad is not impressed.

LITTLE JUMBO HAD TO ACT QUICKLY TO EVADE CAPTURE.

Outside, Little Jumbo takes his heroics out on the street, vowing to right wrong and fight crime wherever he finds it. No mission is too minute for Super Jumbo! Noticing a family of snails on the curb, he charges into the crosswalk, both hands extended to stop traffic from both directions. A few fender-benders and the snarled traffic threaten to ignite a touch of road range, but our hero is off to another challenge.

A small cat is beginning to climb a tree. Little Jumbo "borrows" a ladder and leans it against the tree for the cat's convenience. The cat looks confused. But it's on to more good deeds for our hero. He spots a man with a bag of popcorn, some spread out on the ground around him, and a flock of pecking pigeons scarfing it up. Super Jumbo springs into action, his cape billowing behind him.

HE TIRELESSLY CRUSADED AGAINST THE FORCES OF EVIL!

Charging into the scene, Little Jumbo scatters the pigeons, picks up the popcorn, and presents it to the man with a flourish. No need for thanks.

BEING A SUPER HERO IS A THANKLESS JOB!

Feeling that he's earned a little reward, Little Jumbo spots the goodies in the display window of a bakery. But there is a little boy with a red wagon with a wheel which has just fallen off. Foregoing cupcakes, Super Jumbo pulls out his handy wrench and throws himself into the task at hand! Soon the rubber hits the road as super hero and boy climb the hill, jump into the wagon, and hurtle downhill--heading for Dad, happily fishing on a pier and totally unaware of what is about to happen next.

Being a caped crusader is a thankless job, in Fred Koehler's newest, Super Jumbo (Dial Books, 2016). Fred Koehler's super-hero wannabe means to do great things, but as illustrator Koehler shows in his clever sight gags, his do-good adventures leave comic mini-disasters in the wake of his cloak for young readers to enjoy. As Publishers Weekly puts it, "[Koehler's] thick black outlines give his characters a reassuring emotional groundedness, and he finds the comic sweet spot in each composition."

Fred Koehler's previous book was the well-reviewed How to Cheer Up Dad (see my review here).

Shazam! Do Super Heroes Have Teddy Bears? by Carmela L. Coyle

"Do super heroes make capes out of blankies and string?

"We can turn blankies into most anything!"

Sisters can be skeptics.

When a young wannabee super hero straps on a cape and goes forth to do daring deeds, the last thing he needs is a dubious sister questioning his super prerogatives. But that's what sisters do.

"Do super heroes take Teddies along for the ride?"

"That's something super heroes get to decide!"

Hmmmmph! Sister is not convinced. She's got a few more questions. Do those super heroes get bored when there are no bad guys around to defeat? Are they always hyper-courageous? Can they always finish their carrots even when they're not in a carrot-y mood? Do they have a secret hideout when they play hide-and-seek? On and on she goes with the doubting interrogation, finally coming up with the clincher for her high-flying bro.

"Does a super hero always have to help with the chores?

"Unless there's a genie who'll grant us some wishes!"

This super hero has got it covered with more than a cool cape. The super can-do spirit keeps him soaring high all the way through his "trial by sister" in Carmela Coyle's brand-new Do Super Heroes Have Teddy Bears? (Taylor Trade, 2012), quite charmingly illustrated in comic style by Mike Gordon. After totally defining the modern princess in their super-popular Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? and its smashing sequels, Coyle and Gordon turn their talents to that male idol--the caped crusader. Coyle's rhyming couplets keep the question-and-answer narrative rhythm rolling, and Gordon's cute cartoon-style kids keep up the appeal with lots of visual KAPOW! As Publisher's Weekly says, "Gordon’s gently goofy cartoons are always fun, portraying an idyllic existence that includes lots of outdoor adventures, an impressive array of pretend play props, an improbably expressive teddy bear, and a pet dog with superhero aspirations of his own."