Helen Lester

Tacky the penguin does not fit in with his sleek and graceful companions, but his odd behavior comes in handy when hunters come with maps and traps.

Tacky is not very helpful as Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect plan and prepare for Halloween, turning their igloo into a haunted house and making treats, but while Tacky is finishing his costume something really frightening arrives, and only he can chase it away.

All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he can't pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully.

Tacky the penguin adds his own unique touch to his team's routine at the Penguin Cheering Contest, with surprising results.

Tacky the penguin and his friends perform a play for the little penguins in Mrs. Beakly's class, but with Tacky in the lead role, things do not go exactly as planned.

It looks like trouble when Fragility, a hippopotamus whose feelings are easily hurt, meets Rudy, a rude elephant, on the soccer field.

An Australian wombat joins the Champs baseball team, and even though he is disastrously ignorant about the game, his innate talents save everyone when a tornado suddenly strikes.

Pookins always manages to get her way until the day she meets a gnome who can grant her every wish.

Gruntly is a real hog, and the other animals are tired of his greediness, but when he gets mixed up on a treasure hunt and is the last to reach the prize, Gruntly begins to realize the value of kindness and sharing.

Tacky the exuberant penguin accidentally goes sailboarding and winds up on a tropical island, where he meets an elephant who demands proof of Tacky's identity.