Review by Booklist Review
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 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The lovable ice bird returns to compete in Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester, illus. by Lynn Munsinger. Penguins from the Highlands, Lowlands and Funlands take on Team Nice Icy Land (with Tacky as its resourceful team member) to compete for the "Big Winner!" medal. Tacky's unusual tactics may not always fly in bobsledless racing or downhill skiing, but his appetite for fun lands the Nice Ice Land's team in first place. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) Ah, the thrill of victory; the agony of defeat. Do the Nice Icy Land penguin athletes stand a chance of winning a medal at the Winter Games? Opting for doughnuts, pizza, and late-night TV binges rather than a strict diet and early bedtime, Tacky is nowhere near peak physical condition. But Tacky is part of the team, and the team is ""ready for the long waddle to the Winter Games."" In their sixth book, Tacky and company again exercise the spirit of friendship and acceptance. Though ""Tacky marches to a different drummer,"" he's included rather than ridiculed. That's not to say that his friends -- Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect -- aren't often frustrated with him. By the final event, Tacky's goofy antics have put Team Nice Icy Land in last place. But it's Tacky's goofiness that brings home the gold (despite his mistaking the baton for a hot dog in the speed skating relay). Munsinger's Antarctic animal characters are easy to warm up to, and Lester's energetic story keeps pace with the silliness. Go, Tacky, go! (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
