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| Atwater, R., & Atwater F. (1988). Mr. Popper's penguins. New York: Little, Brown, and Co. |
By Richard and Florence Atwater
Illustrated by Robert Lawson
Published by Little, Brown and Company
New York
1938
139 pages
Mr. Popper's Penguins is an unforgettable tale of a house painter and his family. One day, Mr. Popper and his wife and children, Bill and Janie, are listening to a radio broadcast by Mr. Popper's hero, an Admiral exploring the polar regions. Mr. Popper sends the Admiral a letter and one day, the Popper family receives an interesting surprise in the mail - a penguin! Mr. Popper names the penguin Captain Cook. Unfortunately, Captain Cook does not remain in good health for very long - Mr. Popper decides the penguin must be lonely, and another penguin arrives in the mail. Greta, the new penguin, lays eggs, and soon there are twelve penguins living with Mr. Popper! With so many penguins and so much money needed to pay his contractor, Mr. Popper trains his penguins to be a circus act - Popper's Performing Penguins become a huge hit across the country. At one of their performances, however, the penguins cause some trouble and something unfortunate happens - Mr. Popper is arrested! The Admiral who sent Captain Cook gets Mr. Popper out of jail and Mr. Popper decides that the circus life is no life for penguins - the Admiral offers to take the penguins with him back to the Arctic, and Mr. Popper too! Mr. Popper, the Admiral, and the twelve penguins sail off to the North Pole... Purchase the book here.
Mr. Popper's Penguins was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1938 and won the Young Reader's Choice Award in 1940. The book is a classic and is wonderful for children of all ages. Though a chapter book, the book does have some wonderful black and white sketch-like illustrations that will keep even the youngest of readers intrigued. The story is funny, heartwarming, and wonderful for thematic classroom instruction.
Possible themes/units to consider:
Penguins (there are so many different ways you could use just this!)
Daydreaming (Mr. Popper daydreams of far-away places and travel)
Geography - polar exploration/the Arctic
History - life in the 1930s
Travel
There are countless ways to use this book in your classroom with students as young as kindergarten or first grade. Students with a third grade reading level and above can read it independently, but younger readers are sure to enjoy having it read aloud to them. Consider pairing Mr. Popper's Penguins with a non-fiction book on penguins or the Arctic, and when your unit is over, watch the 2011 film adaptation! Then, compare and contrast the book with the movie. Mr. Popper's Penguins is funny, enthralling, and versatile - follow these links for some classroom resources:
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