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Draft:Helen Lester

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Tacky the Penguin is a series of children's picture books written by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Tacky is a  fictional animal character whose individuality and humorous antics make him particularly appealing to young children. [1] He first appeared in Tacky the Penguin[2], and subsequently in nine more books between 1989 and 2015. Editions of some of the books have been published in Braille, and in Spanish, Swedish, Chinese and Italian. E-book versions and audio-books have also been published. A Tacky the Penguin plush toy was marketed by Merrimakers, Inc. in 2000.[3]

Series summary

In each book, Tacky's loud, boisterous behavior is contrasted with that of his sleek, graceful penguin companions in "Nice Icy Land."[4] and tolerance for the odd bird is rewarded.[5] The illustrations by Lynn Munsinger show Tacky wearing a misbuttoned Hawaiian shirt and a purple plaid bow-tie while all the other penguins have a uniformly dignified tuxedo-like appearance.[6] The other penguins sing sweetly together, but Tacky's voice is loud and off-key. They don't like Tacky until they see his loud un-penguin-like behavior scare away a group of hunters rescuing them all.[7] In each book, Tacky's behavior is disruptive but well-meaning and ultimately helpful, a humorous and endearing combination popular among younger readers.[8] The books are recommended for pre-K to 3rd grade students. [9]

Books

  • Tacky the Penguin (1988) - "Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps." [10]
  • Three Cheers for Tacky (1996) -  "Tacky the penguin adds his own unique touch to his team's routine at the Penguin Cheering Contest, with surprising results."[11]
  • Tacky in Trouble (1997) - "Tacky the exuberant penguin accidentally goes sailboarding and winds up on a tropical island, where he meets an elephant who demands proof of Tacky's identity."[12]
  • Tacky and the Emperor (2000) - "While awaiting a visit from the Emperor, a group of penguins fail to recognize their friend Tacky in the Emperor's clothes." [13]
  • Tackylocks and the Three Bears (2004) - "Tacky the penguin and his friends perform a play for the little penguins in Mrs. Beakly's class, but with Tacky in the lead role, things do not go exactly as planned." [14]
  • Tacky and the Winter Games (2005) - "Tacky and his fellow penguins on Team Nice Icy Land train hard for the Winter Games, but Tacky's antics make their chances of winning a medal seem slim."[15]
  • Tacky Goes to Camp (2009) - "Tacky the penguin and his friends go to Camp Whoopihaha where they scare each other by telling ghost stories around the campfire, never expecting that one of the frightening stories will come true."[16]
  • Tacky's Christmas (2010) - "Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, Perfect, and Tacky are having a wonderful Christmas, complete with an unusual tree, when Tacky's odd behavior saves them from a group of hunters."[17]
  • Happy Birdday, Tacky! (2013) - "It had taken weeks and a lot of whispery chirps for Tacky the Penguin's friends to plan a perfect surprise birdday party for him on his special hatchday. With songs, presents, cake, fishy ice cream, and surprise entertainment from Iglooslavia's own Twinklewebs the Dance Queen, how could anything go wrong?"[18]
  • Tacky and the Haunted Igloo (2015) - "Tacky is not very helpful as Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect plan and prepare for Halloween, turning their igloo into a haunted house and making treats, but while Tacky is finishing his costume something really frightening arrives, and only he can chase it away."[19]

Characters

  • Tacky: The penguin protagonist is an odd bird. He was described as "a bumbler, the kind who couldn't waddle up to give a speech without falling beak-first into the podium," by Christine M. Hepperman in The Horn Book Magazine. As a literary character, he has been called  "an icon of individuality," and "a modern-day Don Quixote, accidentally battling windmills of conformity." in Contemporary Authors.[1]
  • Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect: Pretty penguins who march neatly in a row, dive gracefully, and sing pretty songs.

Publisher's website [1]

Author's website https://www.helenlester.com/




References

  1. ^ a b "Helen Lester". Contemporary Authors Online. Gale. 2004 – via Literature Resource Center.
  2. ^ Lester, Helen (1988). Tacky the Penguin. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780395455364. OCLC 1090911217.
  3. ^ "Tacky the Penguin". WorldCat. Retrieved April 1, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. ^ Galda, Lee (December 1989). "Children's Books: What a Character!". The Reading Teacher. 43 (3): 246. Retrieved April 1, 2019 – via JSTOR.
  5. ^ Hurst, Carol Otis; Otis, Rebecca (May 2001). "Theme Scheme". Teaching Pre-K-8. 31 (8): 54. Retrieved April 1, 2019 – via EBSCOhost.
  6. ^ McNeil, Taylor (February 10, 2017). "An Illustrator's Menagerie". Tufts Now. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Wheatley, Bonnie (April 1988). "Tacky the Penguin (Book Review)". School Library Journal. 34 (8). Retrieved April 1, 2019 – via EBSCOhost.
  8. ^ "Children's Choices for 1995". The Reading Teacher. 49 (2): 140. Retrieved April 1, 2019 – via JSTOR.
  9. ^ "Tacky the Penguin". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Retrieved April 3, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ "Tacky the Penguin". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. ^ "Three Cheers for Tacky". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  12. ^ "Tacky in Trouble". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. ^ "Tacky and the Emperor". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ "Tackylocks and the Three Bears". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  15. ^ "Tacky and the Winter Games". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  16. ^ "Tacky Goes to Camp". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  17. ^ "Tacky's Christmas". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ "Happy Birdday, Tacky!". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  19. ^ "Tacky and the Haunted Igloo". WorldCat. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
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