Happy Birdday, Tacky!

by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Overview

The Nice Icy Land was crackling with busy-ness. 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? But it’s a comedy of errors . . . and all is far from perfect. Luckily, Tacky’s good cheer—and his flippity dance moves—save the day with a flap of his flippers and a tap of his tippywebs. Munsinger’s adorable, expressive penguin illustrations are the icing on the cake.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544055223
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/14/2013
Series:	Tacky the Penguin
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Helen Lester has written many hilarious and popular picture books, including the Tacky the Penguin series and Hooway for Wodney Wat. She lives in New York. www.helenlester.com

Lynn Munsinger has illustrated more than ninety books for children, many written by her frequent collaborator, Helen Lester. She lives in Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

"Fans of the lovable, offbeat bird will delight in this addition to the series."
—School Library Journal

"Another enthusiastic embrace of silliness from Antarctica."
—Kirkus

"Lester and Munsinger's lovable characters are portrayed as warmly as Antarctic animals could be; Munsinger's appealing illustrations celebrate the humor in Lester's lively text."
—Horn Book —

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 2—In the Nice Icy Land, preparations have been under way for weeks for Tacky the Penguin's Perfect Birdday Party. Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect have thought of everything, including fishy ice cream and surprise entertainment. True to form, though, Tacky invents the Flapwaddle Dance and is busy "flippiting about" when he is summoned to his surprise party. Since he is quite different from the other penguins, he turns their perfect plans into quite the imperfect celebration. When Twinklewebs the Dance Queen from Iglooslavia puts on a less-than-perfect show, only Tacky doing his Flapwaddle Dance can save the day. Munsinger's watercolor illustrations are filled with detail, energy, and humor. Fans of the lovable, offbeat bird will delight in this addition to the series.—Nancy Jo Lambert, Ruth Borchardt Elementary, Plano, TX

School Library Journal

It takes a lot of planning to put together the perfect penguin party. And even then... The Nice Icy Land is "crackling with busy-ness." Everyone is deep into preparations for Tacky's Birdday Party. This includes baking, practicing the special song and making a whole slew of cards for their decidedly odd friend. Tacky wakes up the next morning and, in a purple scarf and shirt decorated with yellow flowers, immediately starts doing the Flapwaddle Dance, which he has just invented. A huge "Surprise!!" interrupts him. The party throwers give Tacky a beautiful dinner jacket; he asks whether he should eat it now. All his friends are dumbstruck, and Tacky's characteristically bizarre behavior further astounds them. The cake eventually lands on Tacky's head, where everybody eats from it like a polenta. How imperfect can a party get? Only the big finale remains: It's Twinklewebs the Dance Queen in all her pink glory. So enthusiastic is she that she overdoes it and hurts her web feet. Tacky comes unexpectedly to the rescue, teaching her and the whole party his Flapwaddle Dance. Now that's a great party! Lester's celebration of differences continues to make its point. Both her text and Munsinger's illustrations are sunny and impish. Another enthusiastic embrace of silliness from Antarctica. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews