A classic for kids of all ages (including 47-year-old ME!)I read this book out loud to my family, which includes hubby, a teen boy, and a tween girl. We each giggled at least once, including my very serious husband. I knew it had the stamp of approval when we finished chapter 19 of 20 and there was a collective groan when I read the title of the 20th and last chapter, but put the book down for the next night. We read one chapter each evening, or about 15-20 minutes if there were no chapter delineations, as in some other books. That chapter 20 title indicated that the end was coming for Mr. Popper's Penguins.Last night we read the last chapter. Sigh. I wasn't ready for it to be over. If you read the Kindle copy of the book, be sure to read the end-of-book matter. There are pictures of the Atwater family, and an explanation of how this book came to be. I'm SO glad Mrs. Atwater made some realistic changes to the book before it was published after Mr. Atwater's death. What she did turned it into the award-winning classic that it is, a must-read for all ages.This book was an assigned read-aloud for our homeschool curriculum, but we set it aside in a big stack of books to be read later, since it was just for enjoyment and not really related to other readings and assignments in the curriculum at the time. I'm so glad we waited, because now it would be remembered forever. It was very different from the Jim Carrey movie (also fabulous), so read this and enjoy a completely different story. Pretty much the only things relating the book and movie were the character names and the plethora of penguins!Enjoy some time with your family and read aloud!
My Four-Year-Old is just beginning to be interested in having chapter books read to her. But as she gets stressed out by conflict of any sort, it's kind of tough finding good candidates for her. This is a winner. For those of you who haven't read the book, the basic premise is that a house painter who spends his off-hours reading about (and writing to) explorers in the South Pole receives a penguin in the mail from one of those explorers. Since his work is over for the winter, he becomes very involved in the comfort and care of said penguin (and the eleven other penguins that quickly follow). In the end, he transforms his basement into an ice rink (an idea my daughter wholeheartedly supports, by the way), and spends more than his wife ever thought possible on fish and canned shrimp.I won't tell you how an out-of-work house painter manages to pay for all that (wouldn't want to spoil the ending), but I will say that the process is highly entertaining for all involved. I found myself looking forward to each night's installment of Mr. Popper nearly as much as The Four-Year-Old.Although I personally found the ending to be highly improbable, The Four-Year-Old saw nothing at all the matter with it--except for that little bit of unpleasantness with the policemen and firemen--and has spent many a happy evening reenacting the finale in the bathtub.And now, if you will excuse me, I need to go read Mr. Popper's Penguins to The Four-Year-Old again. I promised her I would as soon as I finished writing the review. (Excerpted from review posted on my blog: Caterpickles-Scientific & Linguistic Engagement with a 4-Year-Old Mind)
What do You think about Mr. Popper's Penguins (1992)?
I read this as a child and really enjoyed it so I read it to my daughter. She really loved it and maybe I have to just remind myself that this is a book for the "younger folk."As an adult, when I read this, I just thought it was just Silly...silly, as in...this story doesn't make any sense at all and is just full of nonsense. Don't get me wrong, I love children's stories that have bits of fantasy to them: Ralph S. Mouse, Indian in the Cupboard, etc...It's just that, I found this to borderline the ridiculous.My questions:1. First off, why would an explorer send a penguin to a common citizen? If he really were a good explorer/scientist, he would know that penguins can't really survive very well in a warmer environment and would Mr. Popper have the means of taking care of it?2. And would someone really flood their house to make ice for their pet?3. And get paid $5000 a week? That's a lot for these days, let alone in the 1940s. Doesn't make sense.4. Okay, and Mrs. Popper is just "okay" with her husband being gone for 2 years...underlying marital issues there?Okay, so yes, I have issues with the story and yes, you might say that I'm being overly analytical about the whole thing. "It's just a funny imaginative story" you may say....But here's the thing: there is a way to make the imaginative into something that sounds real, like it could really really happen...and that's what makes a good storyteller.I don't really know why he got a Newbury unless there were no other books submitted during that time....
—Pricky
This story is not nearly as cute as it is disturbing for many reasons.First and foremost because it's about an eccentric family man who ends up leaving his wife and kids to pursue his obsessive hobby about exotic pets and polar exploration. I thought that was a horrible ending.Furthermore, all the penguins are going to die at the North Pole because they have know evolutionary knowledge of polar bears.During the story I had trouble suspending belief in reality long enough to accept that the pengu
—Scott
My son the nature-lover, who is not as avid a reader as his brothers, is a die-hard fan of this book. His enthusiasm began in school when his teacher read the book to his class, and before she could finish, he persuaded me to bring it home to read at bedtime. It's the charming and often funny story of an ordinary house painter who dreams of Antarctica. When he receives a penguin as a surprise gift, the adventures begin! The book was written in the 30's, but it really transcends time. A fun follow-up to "March of the Penguins!"
—Kressel Housman
