Review by Booklist Review
Tacky the penguin is an odd bird, and his friends have to expect a few surprises when they throw a traditional birdday party to celebrate his hatchday. Thrilled Tacky inquires about eating his present (a dinner jacket), upends his fishy ice cream cone on his head for a party hat, and blows out the candles on his cake with a hair dryer. Fans of the Tacky the Penguin series will enjoy the deadpan humor of the text, the dramatic hilarity of the ink-and-watercolor illustrations, and the reassuring certainty that whatever chaos ensues, everything will turn out happily in the end.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2013. 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
The penguins of Nice Icy Land are hard at work, preparing the "Perfect Party for Tacky the Penguin's Birdday." But when things don't go according to plan -- and with odd bird Tacky, you really should expect the unexpected -- Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect are miffed. "How IMPERFECT can a Perfect Party get?" They manage to keep their collective cool during Tacky's many oblivious faux pas, including mistaking fishy ice-cream cones for birdday hats and passing the cake like a football. His well-mannered friends gamely soldier on, pinning their hopes on the "surprise entertainment," Twinklewebs the Iglooslavian Dance Queen. Alas, a perfect ending just isn't in the birdday cards. Diva Twinklewebs is injured during her performance, melodramatically proclaiming, "I shall never denz again." The perfectionist birds are not prepared to deal with this. But carefree Tacky isinadvertently. His innocent dancing antics save the day, turning everyone's mood from despair to delight. 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. If your Perfect Party is sliding headlong into disaster, what do you have to lose? Go ahead, dance your heart out. kitty flynn (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
