Brief Factual Information:
Title: TACKY the Penguin
Author and Illustrator: Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger
Publication Year: 1988
Title: TACKY the Penguin
Author and Illustrator: Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger
Publication Year: 1988
Prompts: Plot Summary: This story is about a penguin named Tacky and he is "a very odd bird". All of his companions dress fancy, march in neat rows, sing pretty songs and dive gracefully. Tacky does all those things but not neat, or pretty, or gracefully like them so they do not like him. One day hunters come and what makes Tacky different from the other penguins ends up saving them from being captured. Artistic Medium: This book looks like it was illustrated using colored pencils. The sharper edges colored pencils give work well in this book in showing fur on the animals. The color scheme used in this book is all over. All the colors are bright which shows a happier tone. Each of Tacky's penguin companions is a very dark black and a very stark white with a different bold colored bow tie. They stand out from Tacky because he is an off white and grey with a bright yellow floral print top. These show the separation from Tacky and the other penguins. Also the hunters are all a brown color that is completely different from the grey and black of the penguin group. The background on each page is either white or a light, icy blue which gives a neutral background but also helps show their cold, icy home. Style: The style of this book is realistic cartoon with energetic line work and a simple aspect. The animals are cartoon like but other than their clothes they still look like real animals. The energetic line work can be seen in the fur of the animals as well as their movement. For example when they march in neat lines and Tacky marches in a crazy fashion there are squiggle lines following him showing his chaotic motion. Also when the penguins dive or Tacky does cannonballs into the water energetic splash lines follow. The simple aspect of this book falls in the background. Usually the background is just white with a bit of snow on the ground forcing the viewers attention on the penguins. | Strong Vocabulary: The strong vocabulary in this book usually fall to the descriptive adjectives. For example Tacky's friends are called "companions", and instead of being called a funny bird he is an "odd bird". Also Tacky gives them a "heartily slap on the back" instead of a slap on the back and the penguins "ran away in fright". These words not only describe what is going on but that are also more formal vocabulary words that fit the fancy penguin companions. Figurative Langauge: For figurative language there is the penguin companions names, "Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect" not only do they describe attributes of those penguins but also Lovely, Goodly, Neatly possess alliteration all ending in "ly". There is more rhyming when the hunters come signing their song about capturing penguins "And we'll march 'em with a switch, and we'll sell 'em for a dollar, and get rich, rich, RICH!". Lastly there is onomatopoeia when the penguins hear the "thump, thump, thump". Relationship of Pictures to Words: The pictures and the words have a direct relationship. That means what ever the words say is happening in the pictures. For example the words say "his companions were always graceful divers" and the pictures show the penguins doing perfect, straight dives. Also the words say "they hid behind a block of ice" and the pictures show the penguins doing just that. Themes/Central Concepts: The central theme for this book is it okay not to be like everyone else. In this book Tacky is very different from his friends and in the end that is what saves them from the hunters. So what makes you different will be helpful for you one day. The back of the book even says "this book is must reading for any kid- or grown up- who refuses to follow the pack". Uses for this book: I received this book as a gift from my kindergarten teacher at the end of the year because it was one of her favorite read aloud books. The message is great for kids of any age and is perfect for use at the beginning of the school year to teach the kids that people may be different but that is okay it is all about what we can do with our differences. |
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