Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

Tacky the penguin defines the word tacky-he dresses in Hawaiian shirts, greets friends with a slap on the back, and sings dreadfully! All the other penguins are put off by Tacky's behavior, but when some rough hunters come by, Tacky's manners send them packing too! Tacky may be odd, but he sure is a good penguin to have around!

From the Publisher

Tacky is an odd bird who marches to the beat of his own drummer. He’s something of an eccentric, which wouldn’t be a problem if all the other penguins weren’t such . . . conformists. Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger have teamed up to tell Tacky’s story, about the day when some hunters come to the penguins’ Nice Icy Land, and how Tacky’s individuality saves the day!

Publishers Weekly

None of the penguins can tolerate Tacky's loud habits--until they scare off a pack of hunters. PW declared that ``this book is must reading for any kid--or grown-up--who refuses to follow the pack.'' Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

"Droll facial expressions, which still retain their animal quality, add more humor to a perceptive text about being different."

Children's Literature

The winner of the California Young Reader medal. Tacky has child-appeal. It is in that class of books that are loved by children despite the literary opinion of parents and critics. 1990 (orig.

Children's Literature

Tacky the penguin really stuck out from his friends. All six of them lived in an icy land up north. Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect were very polite to each other. They marched in perfect step with each other. Tacky was very loud and wore a flowered shirt. His friends all wore white collars and bow ties. While his friends were graceful divers, Tacky would do cannon balls and splash lots of water. Tacky was an odd bird. One day, hunters came to their home to capture penguins to sell. Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect ran away, very frightened. Tacky was not afraid of the hunters when they approached him. When they explained that they were looking for penguins to sell, Tacky proceed to march his march, sing his song and dive his cannonball. When he finally sang his penguin song, which was particularly loud and dreadful, the hunters ran off. When the hunters were gone, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect came running out from their hiding place to hug Tacky. This book comes in a package with an audio CD that includes two tracks of the story, one with page-turn signals and the other without.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 Tacky the Penguin is a total nonconformist who lives with a group of formal, proper penguins. But it is Tacky who foils the plans of three critters with ``get-rich-quick plans'' that threaten the penguins' existence. With his un-penguin-like antics, Tacky puzzles the hunters to such an extent that they're firmly convinced they cannot be in the ``land of the pretty penguins.'' This is a rollicking tale that clearly shows that there are ad vantages to being an individual. Mun singer cheerfully captures the mood of the tale with her whimsical, full-color illustrations that are particularly strong in depicting the hunters' deter mined, then befuddled, expressions and Tacky's madcap antics. This is sure to elicit lots of chuckles from young readers. Bonnie Wheatley, Emma Conn Elementary School, Ra leigh, N.C.

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