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| image from www.amazon.com |
Summary –
Mr. Popper is a house painter who loves reading about foreign places. Although he has never left his hometown of Stillwater, he’s fascinated with tales of expeditions to the earth’s poles. One day, his life is turned upside down by a strange package from the South Pole, which he receives from Admiral Drake. Inside, he finds a penguin who he names Captain Cook. The book follows the adventures of the Popper family as they adopt Captain Cook and later a female penguin named Greta. The two penguins eventually turn to twelve, as the couple’s eggs hatch new chicks. Mr. and Mrs. Popper and their two children, Janie and Bill, all have an exciting winter as the family adapts to a life of daily adventures with the penguins. However, the Poppers discover caring for a flock of Antarctic fowl can be very expensive. They decide to train the birds to perform and soon find themselves touring North America to pay the bills. As the cooler months end, Mr. Popper faces the realization that his flock of Mr. Popper’s Performing Penguins will not easily weather the summer. He decides to help Admiral Drake and his North Pole expedition, hoping to bring the Antarctic birds to an Arctic environment.
Lucien’s thoughts –
The writing in this book uses clear and simple sentences to tell its imaginative story of a man whose daydreaming leads to a real-life adventure. It introduces a large number of new vocabulary terms that younger children may not yet know. It’s a chapter book and would lend itself very well to being read aloud a chapter at a time to children that can’t yet master reading it by themselves; each chapter has enough exciting adventures to fill a story-telling, yet they often end in enough of a cliff-hanger that readers will want to continue on to the next chapter. The premise of the book is just silly enough that it will make children laugh, yet grounded enough in reality that children will learn about the habits of penguins and real life explorers. For an example of a silly thought taken to absurd conclusions, the Poppers start out by giving over their refrigerator to Captain Cook and end up converting their whole basement into a frozen habitat for the growing family of penguins. When the Poppers decide to train the penguins for a show, Mrs. Popper plays tunes on the piano, but is forced to learn to play with gloves on, since it’s so cold. The book is full of silly little touches like that, which are sure to make younger children giggle. I really enjoyed reading this book, often laughing at the vivid descriptions of the odd scenes that take place when penguins intrude in places where no penguin has gone before (e.g. Stillwater’s Main Street, the barbershop, fine hotels).
As far the illustrations go, the black and white pictures are done in a realistic style, which I honestly found to be a little uninspired. There are several full page illustrations, as well as illustrations that take up only half a page or less. The pictures depict the story, with very little extra detail, so while they reinforce the story, they don’t actually add much to the book. I will concede, the illustrations do a good job of showing Mr. Popper’s transformation from untidy house painter to well-dressed stage performer, by showing how his clothing and general neatness improve. The illustrations also provide reasonably realistic images of the penguins, rather than stylized or cartoony depictions of the animals. In general, the images are serviceable, but not too much more than that.
Librarian’s use –
I think one of the ways to bring this book to life in a library is to use globes and maps to explore some of the places mentioned in the story. Mr. Popper is fascinated with explorations of places he has never been to, like the North and South Pole. Later, he tours various cities in North America. He even names the penguins after famous explorers, so it might be useful to discuss with a map places that were discovered by Horatio Nelson, Christopher Columbus, Robert Scott, and Ferdinand Magellan. The children can then be asked to find on a map different places that they and their families have visited, pointing out that they, too, can explore new places.
Other reviews—
Jones, M. (October 9, 2004). Review a day – Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater review by Powells.com. Retrieved from http://www.powells.com/review/2004_10_09.html
It's time for comfort reading. Something light. Something frivolous. Something completely irrelevant to Iraq, the economy, health care, the environment, or anyone or anything from Texas or Massachusetts. For some, that might mean a moody spy thriller, or a trashy celebrity bio, or a stirring historical romance. Others will find solace in astronomy or bugs or food (though Martha Stewart fans may be at a disadvantage this year). For me, it's penguins.
Even as a little boy, I loved penguins. Who doesn't? They waddle. They toboggan. They squawk. And those little black suits! Come on America, we love black and white. What's not to love?
That's why this month I'm recommending one of my favorite childhood books, Mr. Popper's Penguins. I hadn't read Mr. Popper's in about three decades, but recently stumbled across a copy and enjoyed it like I was eight-years-old all over again. And let me tell you. It's a lot more fun than the Hitler biography I've been working my way through for the past two months. The story is simple. Mr. Popper is a common house painter who secretly longs to travel to Antarctica with Admiral Drake (and what bored house painter doesn't?). So he sends his hero a long adoring letter. The Admiral is so impressed, he not only responds, he sends Mr. Popper a gift: one adult penguin (named Captain Cook). Soon, Mr. Popper receives a second gift, a mate for the Captain, and, by the end of the chapter, baby makes twelve. The Poppers turn their gaggle of penguins into a traveling stage act and become rich and famous. The story has charming illustrations by Robert Lawson and is told with a subtle wit reminiscent of E. B. White.
Still, this title is not right for every reader. Originally published in 1938, Mr. Popper's Penguins is somewhat outdated. For starters, in the final chapters, Admiral Drake returns to the US and asks Mr. Popper to join him on a trip to the North Pole. The North Pole doesn't have penguins, and he wants Mr. Popper to bring his troupe along and introduce them as a seed population. An obvious environmental faux pas. You can bet Tipper Gore wasn't reading this title to her youngsters. Far more disturbing, though, is the scene toward the end of the story where Mr. Popper is approached by a big Hollywood producer. By this time Mr. Popper's Penguins have become quite famous, so the producer, hoping to make a buck, offers the Poppers a lucrative film contract. After careful deliberation, Mr. Popper decides that the well-being of his Penguins is more important than money -- or Hollywood! -- and turns him down. Naturally, some parents may find this a disturbing message for impressionable young readers and might prefer a more commerce-friendly title. But quibbles aside, Mr. Popper's Penguins is an established classic that will delight readers of all stripes -- especially those looking to avoid any mention of red and blue.
Gelman, P. Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Book review. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/mr-poppers-penguins
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is one of those classic childhood books that kids always remember. The chapter book's witty dialogue (albeit with dated language), clever characters, and an ethical predicament make this book as enjoyable today as in the 1930s. Many teachers today use it as part of their language arts curriculum. Mr. Poppers Penguins is a good fit for most first- and second-grade readers, and can be read aloud to kindergartners. Though the book was written in 1938, Mr. Popper was ahead of his time for progressive parenting, letting his kids leave school to help him take the penguin act on the road. He also treats his wife with respect, giving her voice equal status in the household. Kids will see through this funny, quirky man that learning never stops, and sometimes, by asking questions, great things happen. Mirroring the partnership of Mr. and Mrs. Popper, Richard Atwater got sick and was unable to finish the book, so his wife, Florence, picked up where he left off.
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