Tacky the Penguin

March 1, 2001
PreS-Gr 2-Taky the Penguin is noticeably different from his fellow birds. Where they are graceful, elegant, courteous, and adorable, Taky is disheveled, frumpy, clumsy, and exuberant. One would think that this would lead to all sorts of problems, but it doesn't. Instead, while his elegant peers quake behind an ice floe, Tacky exhibits all of his boisterous, strange behavior and scares away some hunters. Sometimes, different is good. First published in English in 1990, this popular character appears in several other Houghton Mifflin titles (e.g., Three Cheers for Taky, 1996, Taky in Trouble, 1998 and most recently Taky and the Emperor, 2000), which have not yet been translated into Spanish. Recommended for public libraries and bookstores. MOB

April 25, 1988
This book is must reading for any kidor grown-upwho refuses to follow the pack. Tacky wears a rumpled Hawaiian shirt, frequently stumbles, performs splashy cannonballs and sings songs like, "How Many Toes Does a Fish Have?'' He lives at the North Pole with his companions Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect, who clad themselves in decorous bow-ties, walk neatly in a row, perform elegant dives and sing lovely songs like, ``Sunrise on the Iceberg.'' But even without the fancy trappings, Tacky comes into his own when he outsmarts a gang of penguin rustlers. This is off-beat fun that is a natural follow-up to Lester and Munsinger's other dandy offerings, including A Porcupine Named Fluffy and The Wizard, the Fairy, and the Magic Chicken. Ages 4-8.