Tacky and the Winter Games (Tacky the Penguin) [Hardcover]

Helen Lester (Author), Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Tacky the Penguin

"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!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Fans of this endearing penguin won't be disappointed with his latest adventure. Tacky and his friends are training for the Winter Games and when the competition finally arrives, the other animals are worried that he will ruin their chance at a medal. The illustrations are very funny. For instance, on one page the text reads, They did one hundred sit-ups a day and the art shows all of the other penguins doing sit-ups while Tacky is sleeping on his mat in the back. On another page, the text reads, They ate special training meals; while the other penguins eat spinach, Tacky is shown stuffing his beak with chips, doughnuts, and pizza. Furthermore, the drawings are detailed and full of life. All in all, this is a fresh, lively, and totally engaging read-aloud from start to finish.–Lisa S. Schindler, Bethpage Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. While Tacky's friends train for the winter games, he sleeps during sit-ups, pigs out on pizza and doughnuts, and goofs off late into the night. At the games, he lags behind until the ice-skating relay race and even then jeopardizes his team's chances by swallowing the baton. Though children will enjoy laughs along the way, Lester manages to bring in many facets reminiscent of the Olympics: training before the games, the march of the athletes into the stadium for the opening ceremonies that include the lighting of a torch. Of course, there are also differences between these games and the televised ones. For skis, the penguins strap frozen fish to their feet, and medals saying "not bad," "PRETTY GOOD," and "BIG WINNER!" are awarded for various events. Once again, Lester and Munsinger create a winning combination of action, detail, and understated wit. Librarians will want to remember this story for those hard-to-fill picture-book requests during the Olympics. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (October 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618556591
• ISBN-13: 978-0618556595
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports > Winter Sports

More About the Author

Helen Lester has published The Wizard, the Fairy, and the Magic Chicken in 1983, in collabroation with Lynn Munsinger. They have also worked together 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 Pawling, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penguins in a Wacky Wonder Land: Hilarious Book!, January 7, 2007

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tacky and the Winter Games (Tacky the Penguin) (Hardcover)

"Tacky and the Winter Games" nails the difficult challenge of writing a truly funny kids' book; it's one of the funniest I've read in the last several years. Text and illustrations combine superbly to give a fully realized portrait of a Tacky and his wacky winter land. You and your young audience will enjoy both immensely; It's one of those rare books that adults will enjoy appreciate almost as much as kids.

The Modus Operandi here is depicting penguins--those lovable but waddly, often awkward looking mammals--training for a Winter Olympics type contest. For credibility, Lester presumes that most penguins might adapt well to winter sports, given sufficient training. However, Tacky is not "most" penguins: He combines a wonderfully comic combination of the sloth and gluttony of Garfield the cat with the wild abandon of Mr. Toad. Not for Tacky the rigors of training: Whereas his four teammates hike, do sit-ups, lift weights, bicycle, eat "special training meals" and keep "strict training hours," Tacky lays down in the snow, abandons the sit-ups, Mr. Toads it on his bicycle--sending his teammates scurrying for safety, feasts on pizza and donuts, and stays up late munching popcorn and watching TV.

The story opens up thematically and pictorially with the 2-page spread describing the Opening Ceremonies. Teams of other penguins come from the "Highlands," the "Lowlands," the "Fun Lands," and Tacky's own "Nice Icy Land." They all march with dignity--except for Tacky who falls on his head while carrying the 'Nice Icy' pennant. However, this episode gives observant readers some insight into his character: Although Tacky falls down, he manages to hold the flag aloft with his feet. Could there be something more to him than his clownishly lazy behavior suggests?

Well, sort of. His team wins the NO-bobsled race but is disqualified because they use Tacky as a bobsled. Penguin ski-jumping, as we all know, uses frozen fish for skis; Tacky's fish skis thaw when he chills (so to speak) by a pot-bellied stove before the race, and floppy fish make for funny aerodynamics. Finally, there's a relay race. The first four members of Team Nice Icy Land pass the baton neatly to each other, but when it's passed to the last skater, Tacky, he eats it! "Ate it? Ate it. Well, it looked like a hot dog." In frustration, his teammates chase him, and Tacky, thinking it's a game of tag "skated faster. And faster. And fasterandfaster and barreled across the finish line in record time." However, will a strict judge (wearing a button that says, "I rule") award them first place when the baton has disappeared? I'll only reveal that the resolution involves X-rays and that the four other penguins give Tacky a big hug. Lester concludes, "Tacky was an odd bird, but a nice bird to have around."

Just about everything here is perfect: The pacing, the funny and vividly colored illustrations that evoke place and person, the plot--which could have stopped much earlier but is well-developed but not long or meandering for its young audience. I'm surprised to see it so low on the Amazon.com sales list. I hope this is not indicative of its popularity. If so, Tacky and his crew deserve a much bigger audience.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars QUITE GOOD AND THE KIDS LOVE IT, September 6, 2006

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tacky and the Winter Games (Tacky the Penguin) (Hardcover)

Small simple story, excellent art work, funny...the kids love this one to the read to them and they do enjoy the rather good illustrations. I like reading this one to the class myself and probably enjoy it as much as the kids do. It is a rather off beat story featuring a rather off beat penguin - it is different. Overall, highly recommend this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I love Tacky, March 10, 2006

By 

Kinder teacher "Loves Kids" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tacky and the Winter Games (Tacky the Penguin) (Hardcover)

I love Tacky the penquin. This book was great to read to my Kindergarten class during the Winter Olympics. We had a lot to talk about. Of course my children know Tacky from, "Tacky" and "Three Cheers for Tacky". These two books are at the top of my list for read alouds in my class. Classic favorites!