| | |  | Books | Home » » Mr. Popper's Penguins | | | | | | | Description: | | The 1938 classic tells the story of Mr. Popper, the small-town housepainter who dreamed of exploring Antarctic regions, and Captain Cook, the redoubtable penguin who turned Mr. Popper's world upside down. Reprint. Newbery Honor Book. H. SLJ. NYT. AB. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780316058438
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
•
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Richard Atwater | | Paperback:
| 139 pages | | Publisher:
| Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | | Publication Date:
| November 02, 1992 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0316058432 | | Package Length:
| 7.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 4.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.5 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 145 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Great classic!Feb 06, 2010
I bought this to go along with my son's homeschooling language arts curriculum. I don't know how I made it through childhood without reading this book, but I'm glad I got to enjoy it with my child as an adult. GREAT story that I'm reading to the little brother now. In this age of electronic everything, it's heartwarming to see two busy boys truly enjoy a classic like this!
A Book ReviewFeb 02, 2010
My book was about a man who was named Mr. Popper. He was a house painter. He had two children named Janie and Bill. He and his family lived at 432 Proudfoot Avenue. He likes to read books about the Arctic, Antarctica, North Pole, and South Pole. Whenever there was a book in the library about these areas he was the first one to borrow the books.
He has always wanted to travel to the arctics. He loved to read about the messages of Admiral Drake that were in the library books. Then, one day the postman came and rang the bell. Finally, some one came and the post man asked," Do the Popper's live here?" They answered yes. You have a package. The package was from Antarctica. It had a penguin in it. Mr. Popper named the penguin Captain Cook.
Then one day, Captain Cook got sick. He got sick because he needed a friend. He was homesick for all his brothers and sisters. Mr. Popper called Antarctica and asked for them to send them another penguin.
One day, another penguin arrived. The Poppers named the penguin Greta. The Poppers wrote the penguins names on the their backs because the penguins looked alike. The Poppers painted the names of the penguins with white paint. The Poppers could tell them apart. Finally, Captain Cook was happy again.
I would tell people about this book if they liked animals, if they have pets, and if they enjoy being cold and in the snow. People who like to read things that are funny and people who have a big imagination would like this book. The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders would love it. I think the girls would like it the most.
My favorite part was when Captain Cook got happy because he had a friend. Then, he felt good again and his family did too. They all became happy when Greta came. That was my favorite part.
Fun back in the day, continues to be fun todayDec 12, 2009
I greatly enjoyed this book when I was a child, but I had some hesitation starting it with my own kids, who have grown up with a much faster-paced multi-media lifestyle and for whom imagining life in the 1930s is more difficult than imagining life in a fairy tale.
I shouldn't have worried. By the end of the second chapter--if not sooner--my boys were completely tuned into Mr. Popper's universe. No questions about why the family traveled on trains instead of airplanes. No questions about ice delivery and ice boxes. They simply enjoyed the story (though they did want to learn more about penguins and whether they could have one as a pet, too).
The grammar and language of the book have aged extremely well; you can easily forget that this book was written over 70 years ago!
Highly recommended, both for children and for people who want to reconnect with their inner child.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A classic tale for kids who love penguinsAug 30, 2009
This is a book I read as a child back in the early 1950s and enjoyed. When my grand daughter developed a liking for penguins from recent Disney movies (animated), I thought she might just enjoy this book as much as I had. She loves to read, and she was delighted to receive it on her birthday recently. Worth considering for any child in grades 2-4.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Story Not to Be MissedJul 29, 2009
At 71 years old, this book is still as popular as it was when published back in 1938! How had I made it all the way through childhood and a looooong adulthood without ever having heard of it?
I decided it would be one of the books that 8 yo, "J", and I would read together. He's been pretty deep into the Wimpy Kid books lately, so I wasn't sure how he would take to some of the more old-fashioned elements of this story. But we really like penguins at my house, so I figured that aspect would capture his interest. I needn't have been concerned. He absolutely LOVED this book!
Mr. Popper is somewhat of an absent-minded dreamer, and he often finds himself in the middle of some of the most absurdly ridiculous predicaments -- even before any penguins take up residence at 432 Proudfoot Avenue. Once they begin to move in, though, the chaos is hilarious. One of the most hysterical scenes takes place when Mr. Popper telephones City Hall to find out whether he needs a license for his first penguin, Captain Cook. I won't spoil it for you, but it reads a lot like the old 'Who's on first' routine. "J" was literally rolling around laughing, unable to catch his breath! I got a kick out of the variant ways characters reacted to seeing a virtual chorus line of penguins walking around town. Some were completely freaked out, which of course was funny, but others took it completely in stride, and that acceptance was laughably ludicrous!
There are some illustrations here and there throughout the book which enhance rather than overpower the story. The interior drawings are the original illustrations by Robert Lawson, and they nicely set the story in the 30's as well as show the sweetness of the penguins. The cover art of this edition, by Michael Emberley, is cute and funny.
This is a story not to be missed. I think anyone would enjoy the silliness, but there's nothing quite like experiencing this sort of inanity with a kid at your elbow and seeing it through their eyes. I hope you all have one handy to share this comical adventure about what can happen when dreams come true.
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