Three Cheers for Tacky

Tacky #2

by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Tacky the Penguin is back this time trying to compete with Goodly Lovely Angel Neatly and Perfect in the iceberg wide Penguin Cheering Contest But will Tacky ever be able to learn the synchronized moves and win the contest

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Humor, Sports, School

32 pages, Library Binding

First published March 28, 1994

About the author

Helen Lester is the author of many children’s books. Her background with children includes being a mother of two and a former elementary school teacher of ten years. While at home with her children, Helen realized the importance of quality children’s literature. Helen started her writing career as a struggling author facing many rejections by publishing companies. Her first book was finally published in 1979. Helen Lester is a full-time writer who makes her home in New York.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tacky - a quirky little penguin with a fondness for Hawaiian shirts, and a penchant for causing chaos - returns for his second adventure in Three Cheers for Tacky. As Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect - those smooth-stepping birds who always kept a "stiff upper beak" - prepare for the upcoming cheering contest, Tacky struggles to fit into their team. But will he be able to perform "properly," when the time comes...?

While not quite as entertaining as the initial Tacky the Penguin , this follow-up is an engaging and humorous picture-book examination of the benefits of individuality. The ending is never really in question, but young readers will enjoy witnessing Tacky's triumph regardless. I appreciated the fact that Tacky's penguin companions aren't depicted as malicious bullies - they simply don't understand, or always appreciate him. Lynn Munsinger's charming illustrations add to the sense of fun. All in all, a solid entry in a series I intend to continue reading...

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tacky the Penguin is an odd bird, but a nice bird to have around. This time there is a Penguin Cheering contest, and the team from P.S. 137 will be in competition with all the other classes from all over iceberg world. Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect worry will Tacky remember the cheers, and do them correctly to help bring home the blue bow ties for the winners.

[Garrett Seney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my stories in elementary school. I even have a signed copy from meeting Helen at a school event. I've been lucky enough to pass this book on to my daughter and she too loves Tacky.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love Tacky!

[Savanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: Three Cheers For Tacky is about penguins. There is a Polar Cheering competition in which a group of penguins enter. In this group is a penguin named Tacky. Tacky is different than all of the other penguins. He can’t seem to do anything right and the other penguins are worried that Tacky will mess up their chances of winning the competition. However during the competition when Tacky messes up the spectators seem to enjoy it, and Tacky manages to get his team to win.

I liked Three Cheers for Tacky because it seemed like a fun lighthearted book. The story was sweet, and the pictures cutie and funny.

[Laura Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without question this is my favorite childrens book. It is so much fun. Tacky is the odd ball, he tries very hard to fit in with his fellow penguins but he just can't seem to do it. Nothing Tacky does matches up to the rest of his group. When an iceberg wide cheer competition is held his friends let him join their group, but will Tacky be able to get the cheer right? or will his unluckiness ruin their chances of winning the top spot. Tacky is a very unexpected bird, who can do very unexpected things. Read and find out what he is capable of.

[Kara Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tell a story about a penguin named Tackey that was different from the other penguins and never seemed to get anything right. A big competition against all of the schools of penguins took place. Tackey worked so hard with his team to try to get it right. When the time came, he messed up, but everyone loved it. They ended up winning.
This book was great and so was the message. Just because someone is different, doesn't make them any less value than others. It was him being different that made them win.
This would be a good book to read when you see someone is being left out or treated differently. Could really help all of the students to get along.

[Brianna N]

Summary: Tacky is not a normal bird. Nobody wants to be like tacky. Tacky is an odd bird. But his friends have to learn to eventually love him. Will they eventually learn to love him or not? He knows how to do a lot of things but not in the way the other birds know how to.

Analysis: I like this book. It is hilarious. It just has great text and pictures. I love the uniqueness of this book bad how it is created. I definitely would use this in my classroom.

Use in my classroom: I would use this in my classrooom to show the children that all people are made different and unique. Children need to express themselves in whatever way they want to.

[Victoria Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My late aunt gifted this book to me when I was a very young child.

I still love and adore it to this day; it made the cut as I trimmed my bookshelf.

All of the Tacky books are wonderful, but there's something about this entry that makes it my favorite. It's probably because it was my first introduction to Tacky the Penguin, but I also simply adore the illustration and text that read, "Tacky looked, well... tacky." God bless you, Tacky.

If my patronus from Harry Potter was a children's book character, it would be Tacky the Penguin.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a little penguin to keep your children entertained! Tacky scores the laughs.

Ages: 4 - 8

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[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our family enjoys Tacky and laughs along with his antics. I appreciate the message of including others who look different or do things differently than you do. In Three Cheers for Tacky, it would have been "easier" for his friends to say, "Uh, not this time, Tacky," but they didn't. They patiently worked with him ... and in typical Tacky fashion, things didn't go quite as expected, but were better for Tacky being involved.

[Katrina Clohessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood picture books, I still find it hilarious as an adult. Wonderful story about an odd penguin whose eccentricities help save the day, showing that it can be great to be different.
Might be better-suited for elementary crowed given its length.
Part of Lester's "Tacky the Penguin" series.

[Erin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I got out of this book is that it shows a way in which some people are the same but it encourages everyone to be their self in their own unique way. I love the illustration throughout the whole book and as well as the ending where it shows positive encouragement to there peer! The ages I would read this book to is 2 to 5 year old's.

[Sinthia Burgos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of character. Tacky is a fun colorful penguin. Definitely love his personality. She does what she likes and does it well. Tacky stands out and is teased at school. This penguin saves the team and wins

[Christopher Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction
Primary Grades (2-3)
This story made me feel sad for Tacky, but I was happy at the end when he was awarded the ribbon. It seemed like tacky could not do anything correctly... and that is relatable to many students (and adults) at some part of their life.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to the Tacky canon! You'll cheer along with the penguins as they wow the judges at the cheer contest.

[Lauren Riviere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book it teaches children to follow there own ideas even if peer pressure says otherwise.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

good ole Tacky!

[Conquering · Rating 3 out of 5]

We use this book during our Antarctica unit on the penguin shelf as a fun read. The main character is a penguin.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tacky is a very charming character who demonstrates the importance of acceptance and keeping an open mind. We read this in a third grade class and the kids responded well to it. I would recommend!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Ethan Frederickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly, we really loved this one! It was an engaging story and had a good message about being yourself. I liked it!

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable - fun - quirky - I loved it :)

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so dang cute!

[Healthy Dose of Self-Destruction · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★★★★★✩
9/10 Extremamente bom

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tacky is an odd bird, but these tales always have him saving the day! This volume found the usual array of penguins practicing for and participating in a cheer leading contest - so you can only imagine what the results might be with Tacky in the group! I love the message to children to be themselves and not worry about what others think.

[Nicole Fiene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story begins by introducing the reader to a group of six penguins: Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, Perfect and Tacky. Right off the bat the reader can see that Tacky is the odd bird out. In the first illustration, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect can be seen straightening their bowties at the top of the iceberg while Tacky is lying upside down at the bottom of the iceberg. The initial impression the reader gets from the first page is that this will be a humorous story.

Each illustration is very well done. Instead of the standard whole-page illustrations followed with text, these illustrations are scattered throughout the page, interacting with the text as the story is being told. In each illustration the audience can see how Tacky really is the odd one, for he is always doing something he isn’t supposed to be doing.

Tacky recognizes that he is different from the other penguins, and when he tries to be like the others, he runs into some trouble. When he walks with his beak up in the air like the other penguins, he runs into an iceberg, and when he tries to do the penguins’ cheer they have been preparing for a competition as perfectly as they do, he gets confused. Finally, he learns the cheer and does it with no mistakes. The other penguins are ecstatic because maybe for once, Tacky won’t mess something up.

When it comes to judgment day, Tacky can be seen in the illustration sitting off to the side with the other penguins, slouching. He seems very discouraged in this scene. As the penguins take the stage shortly after, Tacky is back to his usual clumsy ways, but instead of the judges being disappointed, they find humor in the performance and beg for an encore from the team. Tacky proceeds with other silly cheers he knows and the judges go wild. This is when Tacky, and the other penguins discover that maybe his quirkiness is just what they need.

Overall, this cartoon storybook about a silly penguin and his family of perfectionists is sure to make the reader of any age laugh. Both the author and the illustrator do a wonderful job of working off of what the other has created. The illustrations and text complement each other so well without being too simple or over the top. Although the story does teach the audience that it is okay to be yourself, the story does so without being overly didactic which makes the book that much more enjoyable.

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had Tacky The Penguin first, and then got this one. I definitely like the other one better- I still have not made up my mind on this one. As someone who works with kids with disabilities and special needs, this one struck me as a little bit off. I like that in the first book, Tacky marches to his own drummer and is an individual, and is able to save the day just by being himself.

(Spoiler Alert) In this one, the penguins are in a cheerleading competition, and the judges are bored by all of the routines. Then Tacky gets onstage, and even though he finally mastered the routine in practices, he's flustered in the real show and begins to mess up a little. He does the routine his own way. His goofy routine makes everyone laugh, and they end up winning for being the most entertaining. People ask for more, and Tacky continues with goofy routines.

I think there is a fine line between laughing AT someone, and laughing WITH someone, and this book walks that line. Do I think kids find the story funny and cheer for Tacky the Underdog? YES! It's a lot of fun and it's great to see him succeed despite his struggles to conform. However, I too often see in classrooms, kids laugh with other kids who are different, and it turns into laughing at them. Or when they get laughing, the kid who is the focus of attention, gets worked up and continues to be silly, and all those kids he/she thinks is laughing with him is really laughing at him.

Again, it's a fun book, (and I will understand anyone who feels I need to lighten up), I just see a lot of real life situations in classrooms and playgrounds that play out just like this book: kids getting their entertainment- at the expense of another child.

[Ashley Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a group of penguins who are in a penguin cheer competition. One of the birds is named Tacky, and he is an odd bird. Tacky's teammates tell him that he needs to do the cheer properly and wear their uniform as well if he wants to be on their team. Tacky tries his hardest to be like the other penguins and does his best to practice their cheer. During the competition the judges are bored by the uniform cheers that penguins groups have put together. When Tacky and his team go up, he messes up and the crowd begins to become amused. Needless to say, Tacky's team won the prize and they were happy and lucky to have a little bit of originality in their routine. I like this story a lot because people often try to be what other people want them to be instead of being themselves. Sometimes the most impact you can make it by being original and adding a little bit of yourself. Even though Tacky was different then the extremely proper birds, he was the winning aspect to the team because he was different and not boring. Along with this strong lesson for readers, the book is amusing with it's silly character of Tacky as well as the fun illustrations that show Tacky's originality. This is a great book and I would recommend it to many children and or families.

[David Roman]

This story has to do with that there were a pack of penguins and all of them were considered normal but one named tacky.All went to school and got educated and learned all there suppose to and then one day at they seen a poster that said for penguins to perform and see witch are the best so all the penguins practiced and got all the steps right except tacky and only once he got them right so they hope at the performance he will do the steps according to the script.All the penguins performing bored the judges until tacky and his pack performed they started and tacky messed up by tripping on his Hawaiian shirt he always wore he stayed on the floor helpless afraid they were going to loss but, it was funny to the judges and his moves impressed the judges and delighted them with laughter and they ended up winning.The moral of this story is that don't be ashamed to be different than everyone else it might be better like it turned out for tacky.