Mr. Popper's Penguins facts for kids
Mr. Popper's Penguins book cover (1988 ed.
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| Author | Richard and Florence Atwater |
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| Illustrator | Robert Lawson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Young Readers |
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Publication date
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1938 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback, Paperback) & AudioBook (Cassette) |
| Pages | 139 |
| ISBN | 0-316-05842-4 |
| OCLC | 17265673 |
| LC Class | PZ7.A892 Mr 1988 |
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a fun and famous children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater. It was first published in 1938 and has cool drawings by Robert Lawson. The story is about a kind but poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family. They live in a small town called Stillwater in the 1930s.
Their lives get super exciting when they suddenly get a penguin! His name is Captain Cook. Then, they get another penguin from the zoo, a girl named Greta. Soon, Captain Cook and Greta have ten baby penguins! With twelve penguins living in their house, the Poppers have to figure out how to feed them all. It's a wild adventure that will make you laugh!
Contents
The Story of Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper is a house painter who doesn't have a lot of money. He lives with his wife and two children, Bill and Janie. They live in the small town of Stillwater, Minnesota. Even though they aren't rich, they have a happy life.
Mr. Popper loves to dream big. He spends his free time reading about brave explorers. He learns about faraway places like the North and South Poles.
A Special Delivery
One day, the Popper family listens to a radio show. It's about an Admiral who explores cold, icy places. Mr. Popper had sent this Admiral a fan letter. The Admiral then promises Mr. Popper a big surprise!
The surprise arrives in a huge box. It's a real live penguin! Mr. Popper names him "Captain Cook" after a famous explorer. To keep Captain Cook cool, Mr. Popper cleans out the family's icebox. This becomes the penguin's new bed.
Growing Pains and New Friends
As time passes, Captain Cook grows bigger. But he also starts to feel sick. Mr. Popper writes to a large aquarium for help. The aquarium's expert writes back. He says they have a female penguin with the same problem. He thinks maybe the penguins are just lonely.
Soon after, the Poppers get a second penguin in the mail! Mr. Popper names her Greta. Captain Cook and Greta are so happy to have each other. They both start to feel much better.
A Penguin Home
Now, two penguins can't fit in one icebox! So, Mr. Popper opens the windows wide. This lets in the cold winter air and snow. It turns their living room into a chilly, snowy home for the penguins.
But what will happen when spring comes? Mr. Popper has a clever idea. He moves all their furniture upstairs. Then, he installs a special freezing machine in the basement. This turns the basement into a perfect, cold home for the penguins. It makes the penguins very happy! However, all these changes cost a lot of money.
More Penguins Arrive
After a while, Greta starts laying eggs. She lays a new egg every three days! Soon, there are ten eggs in total. Penguins usually don't lay so many eggs. Mr. Popper thinks it's because of the new cold home they have.
When the eggs hatch, the Popper family has twelve penguins to feed! Plus, the company that installed the freezing machine wants to be paid. The Poppers need money fast!
The Performing Penguins
Mr. Popper decides to train his twelve penguins. He turns them into a fantastic circus act! They call themselves "Popper's Performing Penguins." Their first show is at the local theater. Everyone loves them!
Soon, the penguins are performing all over the country. They even go to New York City. But in New York, the penguins cause some trouble. They accidentally show up at the wrong theater! The manager of that theater gets very angry. He has Mr. Popper and all the penguins arrested!
A New Life for the Penguins
Luckily, Admiral Drake arrives. He came to see Popper's Performing Penguins himself. He helps Mr. Popper by paying his bail. After talking with the Admiral, Mr. Popper realizes something important. Being in show business is not the best life for a penguin.
Admiral Drake has a great idea. He invites all twelve penguins to join him on his next trip! They will go to the North Pole. There, the penguins will be set free to live in the Arctic. The Poppers are sad to see them go, especially Mr. Popper.
But then, Admiral Drake invites Mr. Popper to come along! The Poppers wave goodbye as Mr. Popper and his penguins sail away. Mr. Popper promises to be back in a year or two. What an amazing adventure!
Awards and Recognition
Mr. Popper's Penguins has won some special awards:
- It was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1939.
- It won the 1940 Young Reader's Choice Award.
- It was one of the first books to win the 1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.
Film Adaptation
A movie based on the book was made by 20th Century Fox. It came out on June 17, 2011. The famous actor Jim Carrey played Mr. Popper. The movie is a bit different from the book, but it's still fun!
A New Adventure: The Sequel
In 2020, the publisher Little, Brown asked children's author Eliot Schrefer to write a new book. This book is a sequel called Popper Penguin Rescue. It tells new stories about the great-grandchildren of the Popper family and their own penguin adventures!
