Author: Richard and Florence Atwater
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 6-10 years
Mr. Popper is a house painter of humble means who leads a quiet life with his wife and two children. That is, until the famous Admiral Drake sends him a surprise package from the Antarctic – a penguin! Mr. Popper is very excited to have a penguin for a pet and quickly dubs him Captain Cook. However, the Popper family soon discovers that keeping a penguin is not going to be so easy. What do penguins eat? Where should the penguin sleep? How will they keep the penguin cool enough? And most of all, how are they ever going to afford it? Then, when their penguin family unexpectedly grows, the Poppers have a real dilemma. Fortunately, Mr. Popper soon discovers a way for the penguins to earn their own keep.
Another Newberry Honor winner, Mr. Popper’s Penguins was published in 1938. Mr. Atwater had nearly completed the story when he fell seriously ill, so his wife finished it for him. It is a wholesome and humorous tale that shows a family taking full responsibility for the care of their pets. Although the pacing may be a bit slow for the modern reader, there is no doubt that this book has earned its status as a children’s classic and is well worth the read.
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