Richard and Florence Atwater facts for kids
Richard and Florence Atwater were a husband and wife team who wrote the beloved children's book Mr. Popper's Penguins. This book is a classic story about a house painter who ends up with a house full of penguins! It won the Newbery Honor Award in 1939, which is a special award for great children's books.
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Meet Florence Atwater
Quick facts for kids
Florence Atwater
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| Born |
Florence Hasseltine Carroll
September 13, 1896 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | August 23, 1979 (aged 82) |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Atwater (1921–1948; his death) |
Florence Hasseltine Atwater was born on September 13, 1896, in Chicago. Her maiden name was Carroll. Her mother, Mary Josephine Delany, was a talented concert pianist. Her father, James Carroll, was a publisher.
Florence's Early Life and Education
Florence studied French literature at the University of Chicago. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees there in 1920. While at the university, she was also a co-editor for The Chicago Literary Monthly, a student magazine. It was at the university that she met Richard Atwater, who was her teacher.
Writing and Teaching Career
Florence and Richard married in 1921. They had two children, Doris and Carroll. After Richard became ill in 1934, Florence began teaching. She taught French, English, and Latin at a high school. She also wrote short stories and articles for popular magazines like The New Yorker and The Atlantic.
The Story of Mr. Popper's Penguins
Richard Atwater had an idea for a book about penguins. He wrote an early version of the story. Florence tried to get it published, but no one wanted it at first. So, Florence decided to rewrite parts of the book herself. Her revised version was accepted by a publisher called Little Brown.
The book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, was published in 1938. It became a huge success! It won the Newbery Honor Award in 1939. Later, in 1958, it also won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. This wonderful book has been translated into many languages. It has also been continuously printed since it first came out. In 2011, a movie based on the book was released.
Meet Richard Atwater
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Richard Atwater
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| Born |
Richard Tupper Atwater
December 29, 1892 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | August 21, 1948 (aged 55) |
| Spouse(s) | Florence Atwater (1921–1948) |
Richard Tupper Atwater was born on December 29, 1892, in Chicago. He was a writer and a professor of classics at the University of Chicago. He is best known for co-authoring Mr. Popper's Penguins with his wife, Florence.
Richard's Other Works
Richard wrote for several newspapers in Chicago, including the Chicago Evening Post and the Chicago Tribune. He also contributed to The Chicagoan, a magazine about literature and art. Besides his newspaper work, Richard taught Classical Greek at the University of Chicago.
Richard also published other books. In 1925, he released a book of poetry called Rickety Rhymes of Riq. He translated an ancient Greek story about Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora in 1927, titled Procupius: A Secret History. He also wrote a children's book called Doris and the Trolls in 1931. In 1933, he wrote The King's Sneezes, A Children's Operetta, which had music by Jessie Thomas.
The Idea for Mr. Popper's Penguins
In 1934, Richard Atwater had a stroke. This made it impossible for him to speak or write. Before his stroke, he had finished a manuscript for a book he called "Ork! The Story of Mr. Popper's Penguins". He got the idea for the story after watching a documentary about Richard E. Byrd's trip to the Antarctic in 1932.
After Richard became ill, his wife Florence took his manuscript. She revised and improved the book. Thanks to her hard work, Mr. Popper's Penguins became the beloved children's classic we know today.
