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 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.

It looks like trouble when Fragility, a hippopotamus whose feelings are easily hurt, meets Rudy, a rude elephant, on the soccer field. Fragility was a solid piece of work. But despite her sturdy exterior, Fragility was fragile. Anything and everything hurt her feelings. In the most benign compliment, Fragility heard an insult. No one could even say she looked nice without evoking images of big, squishy cupcakes-since they are also nice-and causing...

Boris has trouble sleeping during the day, which is bedtime for badgers, causing him to fall asleep at night school and miss such delights as exploding science experiments, funny jokes, and badgerball games.

Sparky, a new energetic student at a sloth school, saves her lazy classmates when a wild boar from a government agency tries to shut the school down.

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.

A porcupine named Fluffy is happier with his name after he meets a similarly misnamed rhinoceros.

While awaiting a visit from the Emperor, a group of penguins fail to recognize their friend Tacky in the Emperor's clothes.

A lop-eared rabbit named Buddy finds himself in trouble with the Scruffy Varmint because he never listens.

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.