Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage

Gr 2-5–Thunder (a.k.a. Thunderpants, Thunderpaws, or Thunderbutt) lives to spend every moment possible with her human kid Sage, but as a dog, she doesn’t always understand the things that Sage does. When Sage decides to dress Thunder in a wizard costume, Thunder’s fear and confusion summons her inner wolf that only she can see. Being the good dog that she is, Thunder wants to appease both the intervening wolf and Sage, but listening to the wolf leads to bad pet behavior, such as barking, chasing squirrels, and destroying things in the house. Ultimately, Thunder must find her own balance between her wolf instincts and being a cherished family pet. Thunder is a fantastic canine protagonist, giving readers a dog’s perspective into trying to live alongside humans. Thunder is exquisitely portrayed through colorful illustrations that fully capture dog body language; extra insights into Thunder’s emotions, such as worry winds (nervous farting) and the wagometer will resonate with young readers. Additional factual information on dogs, including segments on pack manners and a brief history of dogs, makes this both an enjoyable and educational read.