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Oceanhouse Media has come out with another nice ebook app in its Tacky the Penguin series, Tacky and the Emperor. I looked at the Apple version for the iPad and iPhone.
Tacky, featured in the series of books by Helen Lester, with illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, is a little penguin with an original and unconventional way of doing things. He and his best friends Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect live in Nice Icy Land. Tacky’s friends always do things the “right” way, but Tacky’s unique take on life lets his friends and young readers know that the world is full of different and interesting individuals.
Tacky and the Emperor features another adventure of the lovable penguin who always marches to the beat of his own drum. All of Nice Icy Land is excited about the upcoming visit of their Emperor. All of the penguins are making preparations for the royal visit, and Tacky is put in charge of balloons. The silly penguin soon finds himself flying away from home and over icebergs. After playing dress-up with some clothes he found, Tacky makes his way home and finds out what it’s like to be treated like a king.
Tacky and the Emperor features three ways to read and enjoy the story:
“Read to Me” — The narrator reads the story, with each word in a paragraph highlighted. A child just needs to tap a finger to make the words associated with the illustrations pop up, such as “Tacky,” “balloons,” and “Emperor.”
“Read it Myself” — This feature lets children read the story on their own, at their own pace. Pages are turned by swiping the screen, and highlighted words can still be activated by tapping on the pictures.
“Auto Play” — In this mode, the narrator reads the story and the pages flip automatically. Children can still tap the pictures to make the highlighted words pop up.
Both parents and children will enjoy the amusing Tacky and the Emperor. Other Tacky the Penguin titles in this eBook series include: Tacky Goes to Camp, Tacky and the Winter Games, and Tacky’s Christmas. The illustrations come to life with great graphics and sound effects, and it will be a storybook that kids will want to enjoy again and again.
