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Penguins - yes, you read that correctly

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Penguins were a big interest at our house even before "March of the Penguins" and "Madagascar". We'd like to share our favorite penguin-themed books...

• Tacky the Penguin (or its Spanish version, El Pinguino Taky) by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  First of several goofy books about a tacky, clueless, clumsy, even lazy penguin named Tacky. His Hawaiian shirt is always askew but his good humor, self-deprecation, and lack of selfishness generally save the day. He is contrasted throughout against his five ultra-typical penguin friends, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect, who are perfectly serene and composed most of the time.
  Expect your child to go around screeching off-key: "I wonder... yup, I wonder!" and/or "What's happening?" after a few readings from this series.
• Three Cheers for Tacky, by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  Tacky and his more conservative penguin friends enter a cheerleading contest on their iceberg. His antics distinguish their group from the other entrants.
• Tacky and the Emperor, by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  Tacky's usual penguin friends fret over an imminent visit from their emperor. Tacky, as unfazed as ever, wanders off and ends up in the emperor's robe. He impresses the bored emperor with his atypical penguin behavior, once again saving the day.
• Tacky in Trouble, by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  This one is a bit different from the others in that Tacky is only on the iceberg at the beginning and end of the story. He goes ice-surfing, sort of, and ends up in a warm climate. His clutziness makes an elephant very happy.
  Checking a globe ("Where did he go?" was a question we got while reading this one), it seems he must have been on an awfully long trip - it's pretty far from Antarctica to anywhere with elephants wandering around. A fun read nonetheless.
• Counting Penguins!, by Betsey Chessen and Pamela Chanko
  Simple counting book using photographs of different species of penguins.
  
  
  "Tacky" books we don't have yet, but which will surely enter our domain soon:
• Tackylocks and the Three Bears, by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  Tacky is supposed to be Goldilocks in a class play...
• Tacky and the Winter Games, by Helen Lester; illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger.
  The penguin version of the Olympics. Tacky is his usual unconcerned self, while his overachiever friends live up to their names during the training.
  
  
  Not a Tacky the Penguin book but also by Helen Lester and also illustrated by Lynn M. Munsinger, we had this one for a couple of years before stumbling upon Tacky at our local library:
• A Porcupine Named Fluffy,
  Fluffy is not at all fluffy, and is sensitive about his name - until he buddies up with a similarly misnamed animal he meets during a walk. A great read, with fun pictures.

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