Tacky the Penguin

Tacky is a favorite at our house! In fact- sometimes i have to hide it in order to get a break from reading it. Haha But really, it is such a cute book! And i love the lesson.

Ordered this for my preschool theme and it came in spanish

Tacky the Penguin was an odd bird; not at all behaving like his companions (you know, orderly). Oh well! Let's face it! He was just plain tacky! He did have one saving asset--he could "think outside the box!" Although author Helen Lester doesn't ever resort to the killer of young children's stories--PREACHING!--she makes her points so gracefully that the book is a perfect opener to the lesson of TOLERANCE. Like many good children's stories, this one certainly invites a grownup to get into a gentle discussion about other children that seem a bit different. That differences (per se) are not bad, but rather makes our world interesting, and sometimes can actually save lives. We are, after all, an interdependent society. Definitely not an empty-headed action story! For my six year old grand-daughter, it provoked an entire stream of anecdotes about classmates and playmates and her odd little brother.

Both of my children (aged 4 and 5 1/2) have enjoyed all of the Tacky books, but this first book is probably the best of the series. Tacky is an unorthodox penguin who seems to either be unaware of how different he is or unconcerned with the fact beginning with his wild Hawaiian shirt attire in contrast to the buttoned up tuxedo look of his penguin peers. While other penguins in the book conform to appropriate penguin (or human) behavior with names like "Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly" and "Perfect," Tacky marches to the beat of a different, syncopatic drummer. Both of our kids readily identified with his differences and quickly learned to mimic some of his mannerisms such as hearty slaps on the back while hollering, "What's happening?!" and singing "How many toes does a fish have?" at the top of their lungs. Whether marching, swimming, or singing, Tacky is definitely different. This book is an endearing mix of wonderful messages (it's ok to be yourself, sometimes our fears are worse than the reality, and creative problem solving are a few that come to mind) that are all delivered in a humorous, silly story that my kids love and I can read over and over again without getting bored.

Tacky is the cutest children's book I have read! I'm 15 and I still read it! It is very funny and gives children a good message about being yourself. All kids should read it!

This is my all time favorite children's book (with an almost tie: Don't Give up Josephine!)! I read this to the campers at my day camp this summer and they loved it as much as I do! I don't have the book yet, but I've read it so many times I know it by heart. I can't wait to read it to my sister (who's a lot like Tacky...). I recommend this to anyone who loves eccentricity and fun!

Our 2 1/2 year old daughter loves to have her daddy read her this book over and over again. Although she can't read, she knows the book so well that she is able to tell us the story just by looking at each page. Tacky teaches us that it is OK to be an "odd bird" because that's what makes us all so unique. So, march and sing off key and enjoy yourself!