Tacky the Penguin (Choice)

This book is about a penguin named Tacky. Tacky is an odd penguin, who certainly waddles to the beat of his own drum. The other penguins, Goodly, Lovely, Neatly, Angel, and Perfect, all make fun of Tacky. Tacky marches differently, sings different songs, and greets other people with a nice slap on the back followed by a "Whats Happening?!." One day Hunters come to the penguin's home, looking to trap and sell some penguins. Tacky greets them like he greets all penguins, and the hunters are immediately confused. He shows them how he walks, and how he sings, and the other penguins begin to sing Tacky's song that they so frequently made fun of. The hunters run away from the penguins and Tacky is the hero, the other penguins now have a new appreciation for Tacky and his unique tendencies.

I would use this book in the classroom as a way to help students appreciate what makes us all unique. I think that this would be a great book to use in the beginning of the year when setting the tone and environment of the classroom. This helps book helps to celebrate difference and I think its an important message to convey in the classroom. You could incorporate writing by asking students to write about a characteristic about themselves that makes them different or unique. This would provide valuable insight to how students perceive themselves. This could also begin a nice discussion in class to see what their peers thought and how these differences make up the classroom environment.