Module 1: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Book Summary: Mr. Popper is a house painter and known to the people of Stillwater as a dreamer. Even though Mr. Popper is happily married and has two children and a small house on 432 Proudfoot Avenue, he wishes most of all he could visit the North and South Poles. He watches movies about the Arctic and Antarctic, checks out the newest books on the subject at the local library, and keeps pictures from the National Geographic on his wall. He sends a letter to Admiral Drake, an explorer in Antarctica and he responds with a message over the radio that he is sending Mr. Popper a surprise. The surprise turns out to be a penguin that Mr. Popper names Captain Cook. The family transitions their lives in order to accommodate the penguin. Soon, Captain Cook becomes listless and they find a companion for him, resulting in many more penguins. The Poppers become locally well-known for their brood of penguins and they put together a traveling performance; chaos inevitably ensues.

APA Reference of Book: 
Atwater, R., & Atwater, F. (1938). Mr. popper's penguins. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Co.

Impressions: This book has always been in my periphery as a child, working in bookstores, and finally at the library. I had never read it until this class and I was glad that I did. The story has some silly moments and moves quickly with the shorter chapters. The properness of the language, since it was written in 1938, keeps a level of authenticity to the story; it prevents it from becoming too ridiculous. Mr. Popper is nothing but calm when requesting a hole to be drilled in his refrigerator or allowing snow to come into his house so the penguins can glide around his living room. Mrs. Popper is willing to go along with the scheme and provides musical accompaniment to the penguins' performance in the form of piano. However, there are some dated aspects to the story since Mrs. Popper is the stereotypical mother worried about finances and trying to keep Mr. Popper in order. Also, the children, Bill and Janie, are only small characters in the story. This may reduce some of the relate ability of the plot. The illustrations, especially those of the penguins, by Robert Lawson are a positive addition to the book. Overall, the story is similar to the comedy movies during the era when it was written.

Professional Review: "This is rather a silly story, and I don't believe children will think it particularly funny. A paper hanger and painter finds time on his hands in winter, and spends it in reading of arctic exploration. It is all given reality when he receives a present of a penguin, which makes its nest in the refrigerator on cubes of ice, mates with a lonely penguin from the zoo, and produces a family of penguins which help set the Poppers on their feet."

Kirkus Reviews (1938, September 1). [Review of the book Mr. popper's penguins, by R. Atwater & F. Atwater]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-atwater/mr-poppers-penguins/

Library Uses: I imagine this book would be a title to recommend when conducting Reader's Advisory. Frequently, kids request books that are "funny" and since this book is considered a classic, parents may be familiar with it and want to read it to or with their children, too. I could also see this book in conjunction with a lesson on penguins or the Antarctic. Since there are some penguin behaviors and necessary environments described to maintain penguins, I could see children debunking some of the ideas presented in this fictional story with non-fictional resources.