Synopses & Reviews
"A-huff-and-a-puff-and-a-huff-and-a-puff-and-a-huff-and-a-puff" "WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Tacky the penguin wants to know. The Winter Games, that's what's happening. And Tacky and his fellow penguins Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect have to work hard to get in shape so they can represent Team Nice Icy Land in the athletic competitions. After rigorous training, they're ready - but are the games ready for Tacky? Will his antics keep Team Nice Icy Land from winning a medal? From bobsledless racing and ski jumping to speed skating, Tacky lends his unique, exuberant style to each competition. In laugh-out-loud scenes of Tacky and his fellow penguins' athletic debacles, Tacky reminds readers of the underlying joy and enthusiasm that propells athletes to greatness. So get ready to cheer for Team Nice Icy Land and let the games begin!
Review
"Another winner in the further adventures of the familiar five."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"Fans of the author's previous monkey titles will welcome this silly new tale."
and#8212;Kirkus
"[A] gently naughty romp."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Christelow's five little monkeys are natural tricksters, making them perfect subjects for a Halloween story."
and#8212;Booklist
"Playfully illustrated with a colorful parade of animals and disguises. . . . A lighthearted farce."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
Review
"Tacky the Penguin returns for a seventh adventure, his funniest yet . . . . And itand#8217;s nothing short of hilarious to witness Tacky in his bulgy sleeping bag, unknowingly lying atop a huge pile of leftover sand#8217;mores that, despite his valiant efforts, and#8220;he just...couldnand#8217;t...quite...finnnnish.and#8221; In the end, as usual, the lovable slob saves the day, and the campers discover that their best defense against a ravenous, campsite-raiding bear is a sand#8217;more-addled penguin."--Horn Book, starred review and#160; "Lesterand#8217;s well-paced, witty tale is sure to please fans of the Tacky series, while the colorful ink-and-wash artwork will have them laughing out loud. A refreshingly different summer-camp story, this is a fine addition to a consistently amusing series."--Booklist and#160; "As always, Tacky brings his larger-than-life personality to the excursion: his camping supplies include a television, pizza and roller blades; his and#8220;arts and craftsand#8221; project is a sprawling, abstract style painting; and he tips the canoe and canand#8217;t tell a good scary story. Munsingerand#8217;s art adds plenty of humor, up through the finale when Tacky proves his worth."--Publishers Weekly and#160; "This is laugh-out-loud material for loyal Tacky fans and an excellent choice for new arrivals in the Nice Icy Land."--School Library Journal
Review
"Munsinger's Antarctic animal characters are easy to warm up to, and Lester's energetic story keeps pace with the silliness. Go, Tacky, go!" and#151;Horn Book Horn Book
Review
"Tacky, the delightful penguin who marches to a different drummer is back in another funny an charming tale. . . . Children will think this book is a riot and wonand#8217;t even realize that a message is being delivered and#151; a charming one about the joys of non-conformtiy." and#151;Kirkus Reviews Kirkus Reviews
"Lester and Munsinger have again succeeded in creating a delightful Antarctic-of-the-imagination." and#151;Booklist Booklist, ALA
"As always, Munsingerand#8217;s ink and watercolor renditions of the birds exude personality, while Lesterand#8217;s story packs the double whammy of high entertainment value with an easily digestible lesson." and#151;Horn Book (Nov/Dec 2000) Horn Book
Review
andquot;Both funny and scary, this entry in the popular Tacky the Penguin series is entertaining from first to last...A Halloween treat for Tacky fans.andquot;
andmdash;Booklist
andquot;Halloween has not been as shivery, silly, and satisfying as in this polar romp.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
andquot;Fans wonand#39;t be disappointed in this addition, and readers not yet familiar with the character will find this to be a wonderful introduction.andquot;
andmdash;School Library Journal
and#160;
Review
"Lester doesn't overdue the text, but keeps it at a crisp, droll level, and, as usual, Munsinger's illustrations catch the right proportion of absurdity and comeuppance. Another victory for oddfellows everywhere." Kirkus Reviews
"Munsinger's watercolor illustrations perfectly capture the hilarity with body postures and facial expressions... This silliness will delight Tacky's loyal fans and win a lot of new devotees, and they'll all be watching eagerly for the next adventure." School Library Journal
"Tacky steals the show." Publishers Weekly
and#147;Muningerand#8217;s penguins retain their comic charmand#133;and#8221; The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"Hip, hip hooray! Tacky's back, along with his proper penguin pals . . . Tacky fans will flip for this title." School Library Journal
Review
Fans of previous adventures of the spunky little penguin will welcome this latest, which is probably Tacky's goofiest escapade yet. While his boring fellow penguins nap comfortably atop their iceberg, Tacky takes off on a solitary ice-surfing expedition, landing on a tropical isle. An elephant mistakes his billowing flowered shirt for a bouquet and takes Tacky home to dress up her dreary kitchen table. Convincing the deluded elephant that he's a penguin not a posy takes some doing, but Tacky finally manages it with his usual relish, leaving behind with his hostess a colorful reminder of his unexpected visit. The illustrations will sell the story.
Booklist, ALA
The story will appeal to children who know that making a mess can cause trouble. The soft, watercolor illustrations and simple story line make this a good choice for reading aloud.
School Library Journal
Synopsis
It's Halloween, and Tacky and his penguin friends are setting up a haunted igloo! But with Tacky around, something is bound to go a little wonky! Just whenand#160;the penguins'and#160;halloween is spookier than they could have hoped, things turn a lot less spooky andand#160;a lot more scary. Three suspiciously familiar ghostsand#160;demand treats! Snacky Tacky has eaten every last one, so who will save the day? Why and#8211; Tacky, of course!
Synopsis
Itand#39;s Halloween, and Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect are planning the spookiest haunted igloo ever! Theyand#39;ve decorated with spoohooky cobwebs, theyand#39;ve baked some awful waffle treats, and the only thing left to do is dress up as something scary to haunt the igloo. Everything is going spooktacularly . . . untiland#160;ghostly hunters show up! They want all the penguinsand#39; snacks, but their trick-or-treaters (and, of course, snacky Tacky) have eaten them all. How will the penguins get out of this mess? Tacky will teach these trick-or-treating hunters that, if theyand#160;canand#39;t get treats, theyand#39;re surely going to get tricked.
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s Halloween, and Lulu the babysitter is taking the five little monkeys trick-or-treating. Those silly monkeys decide that trading costumes with their friends would be fun . . . and chaos ensues. Will Lulu go home with the wrong trick-or-treaters? Will the trick the monkeys play on Lulu keep them from getting their treats?
Synopsis
Five excited little monkeys dress up for Halloween. They are going trick-or-treating with their favorite babysitter, Lulu. and#8220;Ghost, princess, goblin, banana, and alien,and#8221; Mama reminds her. and#8220;Donand#8217;t lose the rascals!and#8221; But soon those mischievous monkeys meet other costumed friends and decide to try and#8220;the best Halloween trick ever!and#8221; Will Lulu be fooled? Or will those five little rascals get tricked by their own monkey business?
Vibrant, silly, and perfect for reading aloud, this non-scary Halloween story is sure to delight fans of this best-selling series. Includes recipes for and#8220;eyeballsand#8221; and and#8220;worm juiceand#8221; so kids and their grownups can make their own holiday and#8220;trickand#8221; treats at home.
Synopsis
Tacky and his fellow penguins have to work hard to get in shape so they can represent Team Nice Icy Land in the Winter Games. After rigorous training, they're ready - but are the games ready for Tacky?
Synopsis
Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger's beloved penguin Tacky saves the day (in unique style, of course) in another adventure in Nice Icy Land--now available in paperback!
Synopsis
Tacky and his fellow penguins are off to summer camp in Nice Icy Land to enjoy themselves while Rock Hopping, Line Dancing, and playing Capture the Ice Cube. One night, they gather around the campfire to sing, eat sand#8217;mores, and tell scary stories. But after going to bed, something straight out of one of their scary stories pays the sleeping penguins a visit. Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect think they should high-tail it out of there, but it is Tackyand#151;with some unexpected heroicsand#151;who saves the day.
Includes lyrics to the official Camp Whoopihaha song!
Synopsis
Itand#8217;s common knowledge that Tacky was never the best- dressed penguin, but when he and his friends prepare for the arrival of the emperor, Tacky gets carried away and ends up in more than just elegant attire!
Tacky brings his own unique brand of humor and entertainment to the emperorand#8217;s visit. Here is another wacky addition to Tackyand#8217;s myriad adventures in which friendship, kindness, and laughter always win out! Tacky fans will be carried to new heights of hilarity by this latest Tacky tale.
Synopsis
How do you keep a crowd of energetic young penguins entertained? Put on a play, perhaps? But will they pay attention through an entire performance? If Tackyand#8217;s center stage, they might. Even dressed up in his flowing blond wig and little red and#147;skipping shoes,and#8221; everyoneand#8217;s favorite misfit penguin imbues the character of Goldilocks with his own indomitable personality and style. So what if the set is in shambles? This is one performance Mrs. Beaklyand#8217;s students wonand#8217;t soon forget.
Synopsis
Tacky the Penguin is back, this time trying to compete with Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect in the iceberg-wide Penguin Cheering Contest. But will Tacky ever be able to learn the synchronized moves and win the contest?
Synopsis
Tacky the penguin goes windsurfing and ends up on a tropical island, captive to an elephant who, upon seeing Tacky's floral Hawaiian shirt, mistakes him for a bouquet of flowers. The elephant thinks that Tacky would make a pretty centerpiece, so she arranges him in a vase and sets him on her table. Tacky is going to have to use all of his best penguin moves to get himself out of this hilarious jungle mix-up. Tacky's fans are sure to delight in the show. Only the team of Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger could pull off a tale of such far-fetched adventure. They are masters at the art of creating silly stories and beloved characters that make children laugh out loud. This latest tale about Tacky will be a hard one to keep on the shelves.
About the Author
Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger have been together through thick and thin since first publishing The Wizard, the Fairy, and the Magic Chicken in 1983. They have collaborated on the hilarious Tacky the Penguin series and many other wildly funny and popular titles, including the award-winning Hooway for Wodney Wat. Helen Lester is a full-time writer who makes her home in New York, and Lynn Munsinger is a full-time illustrator living in Vermont.LYNN MUNSINGER has illustrated more than ninety books for children. She graduated from Tufts University in Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, where she majored in illustration. She lives in Connecticut and Vermont.