Life for a dog named Thunder is “paw-fect” until a tiny, rule-breaking foster puppy arrives and flips her world upside down1.
Author-illustrator Bethanie Murguia introduces us to the Wagnificent series, which currently features two installments. The story centers on Thunder, a dog who is quite content being the center of her human Sage’s world until Byron, a small but spunky puppy, joins the “pack”. This sudden change sparks a lot of jealousy in Thunder, leading to an internal struggle between her domesticated life and her “Inner Wolf” instincts. When Thunder’s barking eventually scares Byron away, she has to work with Sage to find him, ultimately learning a lot about empathy and friendship along the way.
This series is a fantastic fit for students who might feel intimidated by dense blocks of text or are still mastering English. Its graphic novel form alloiws the illustrations to ease the reading burden by showing exactly how characters feel, which helps students follow the plot even if they miss a word or two. Murguia uses clever visual tools like a “growl meter” and “wagometer” to make abstract emotions visible and easy to understand. The language is kept simple, often using short dialogue fragments rather than long, complex sentences. For a teacher, the best part of this series is how it builds confidence; once a student finishes the first book and gets used to the art style and character voices, they can dive right into the second book, A New Dog in the Den, with a sense of familiarity.
Total Books in Series: 2 10Best Starting Point: Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage 11 Would you like me to create a set of discussion questions based on the “feeling meters” used in the book?
