Tacky Goes to Camp

Publishers Weekly

Slipshod, overweight penguin Tacky joins his more orderly penguin companions-"Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect"-on a trip to Camp Whoopihaha in his seventh outing. As always, Tacky brings his larger-than-life personality to the excursion: his camping supplies include a television, pizza and roller blades; his "arts and crafts" project is a sprawling, abstract style painting; and he tips the canoe and can't tell a good scary story. Munsinger's art adds plenty of humor, up through the finale when Tacky proves his worth. Ages 3-7.(May)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Tacky, the irrepressible anthropomorphic penguin, returns for another amusing adventure. This time he and his friends are off to Camp Whoopihaha. The friends have packed traditional camp gear, wear "nifty" uniforms, and sleep in ordinary tents. Tacky, as usual, does everything in his own way. As they climb, swim, do archery and arts and crafts, and canoe, Tacky is doing his own thing. On Sleep Under the Stars Night, they all gather to sing the camp song, make s'mores over the fire, and then have "SCARY STORY TIME." Tacky's "Beware the Bear" tale ends in fun. Later, however, the others awake to see a real, hungry bear. They run to wake up Tacky. Luckily, greedy Tacky has leftover s'mores stuck all over him, making a sight that frightens the bear away. Tacky may be odd, but his friends decide he's a "nice bird to have around." There is an obvious contrast between the uptight penguin quintet and the plump, messy, idiosyncratic Tacky. The picture of him in his bed surrounded by scores of s'mores is really amusing; the bear makes a comic villain. Munsinger's sketchy, softly colored illustrations include a few scattered icebergs to remind us that we are supposed to be in penguin territory, but of course the story requires some stretch of the imagination. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2

Somehow, the lovable penguin's goofy, clumsy antics always have a way of saving the day for him and his pals, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. This addition to the popular series follows the same formula, but Lester's humorous word choices and Munsinger's delightfully silly illustrations keep things fresh. Tacky is off to Camp Whoopihaha, where he unpacks a collection of ridiculous items, sets up a circus tent, and participates in activities in his usual bumbling fashion. His contribution to the campfire scary stories is a dud of a tale called "BEWARE THE BEAR," but when a real bear threatens the campsite that night, it is Tacky whose gluttonous hording of gooey s'mores keeps everyone safe. This is laugh-out-loud material for loyal Tacky fans and an excellent choice for new arrivals in the Nice Icy Land.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

From the Publisher

"Tacky the Penguin returns for a seventh adventure, his funniest yet . . . . And it’s nothing short of hilarious to witness Tacky in his bulgy sleeping bag, unknowingly lying atop a huge pile of leftover s’mores that, despite his valiant efforts, “he just...couldn’t...quite...finnnnish.” In the end, as usual, the lovable slob saves the day, and the campers discover that their best defense against a ravenous, campsite-raiding bear is a s’more-addled penguin."—Horn Book, starred review   "Lester’s well-paced, witty tale is sure to please fans of the Tacky series, while the colorful ink-and-wash artwork will have them laughing out loud. A refreshingly different summer-camp story, this is a fine addition to a consistently amusing series."—Booklist   "As always, Tacky brings his larger-than-life personality to the excursion: his camping supplies include a television, pizza and roller blades; his “arts and crafts” project is a sprawling, abstract style painting; and he tips the canoe and can’t tell a good scary story. Munsinger’s art adds plenty of humor, up through the finale when Tacky proves his worth."—Publishers Weekly   "This is laugh-out-loud material for loyal Tacky fans and an excellent choice for new arrivals in the Nice Icy Land."—School Library Journal