Mr. Popper's Penguins

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Summary: Review about Mr. Popper's Penguins
Review: I read this book and thought is was cute, funny, and a great read! The charecters are: Mr. Popper, a man very interested in the arctic, Mrs. Popper who is his wife, thier children Janie and Bill, the 12 penguins, Mr. Greenbuam who owns a theater, and Admiral Drake who is an arctic explorer. Mr. Popper is sent a penguin by Admiral Drake. When the penguin gets sick the aquarium sends Mr. Popper a girl penguin, and, naturally the 2 have babies.The Poppers cannot affford the penguins, so Mr. Popper decides to let them perform on stage. Mr. Greenbaum lets them use his stage, and the family gets richer and richer. At the end Admiral Drake comes and asks Mr. Popper if he would like to take the performing penguins and himself to the South Pole for 2 years. Mr. Popper says yes. I hope you read this book because it is wonderful.

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Summary: Mr. Poppers Penguins
Review: I read this book in a Book Club with three kids ages 8 and 9. We shared confusing parts and our questions. We met 4 times a week in the Book Club. We discussed word work and our thoughts and ideas. It was our second time reading the book and we understand it better because we read it in our Book Club. We were able to discuss questions and ideas that helped us understand the book better. If you have not read this book in a Book Club you may want to try it. It will help you understand it better. It is about a man that has 12 penguins and he is running out of money. Admiral Drake sent Mr. Popper a penguin. Mr. Popper named it Captain Cook. Then Admiral Drake sent Mr. Popper another penguin he named it Greta. Greta had ten baby penguins. This was a really awesome book.

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Summary: Made me want my own penguin.
Review: I read this book myself when I was very young and find myself coming back to it time and time again even though I'm much older now. I remember the delight I felt each time the penguins got into some kind of trouble and the sympathy I felt for poor Mr. Popper each time he had to deal with the trouble. Even though the book was written more than sixty years ago it has a timeless feel that all good children's books have. It's a great addition to any child's library, both for the love of literature it can inspire and the lessons it can teach about responsibility and loving kindness. Definitely buy this for your kids and put it on the shelf next to the Dr. Suess.

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Summary: Opus times twelve
Review: I've lived 26 years on this earth. In those 26 years I've learned a lot about children's books. I've learned which ones are considered the holiest of holies and which are to be condemned and spat upon. So I was completely taken aback when I learned that there was a 1938 children's book that absolutely no one had ever told me to read before. "Mr. Popper's Penguins" was a delight to discover. Suddenly I was privy to reading a charming story of a man and his penguins, and I had never even heard a peep about this tale from anyone. What gives? Why isn't "Mr. Popper's Penguins" as well-known and well-read as "Cheaper by the Dozen" or "Stuart Little"? There is no answer to this question. There is only this wonderful book, well-illustrated and magnificently written for the younger set.

Mr. Popper is a house painter, and mostly a good one. True, he does sometimes fall into fits of fancy, dreaming about the Arctic explorers and the ice floes to the North and South. His wife and children don't necessarily understand his dreams, but that doesn't sway Mr. Popper. One day, out of the blue, he receives word that one of the great explorers he wrote, Admiral Drake, read his letter and is sending him a present. As any child who remembers the title of the book might guess, a penguin comes hopping out of a newly delivered crate the next day. Mr. Popper is charmed by the little guest, and names him Captain Cook. Cook is a curious beasty, and the Poppers do everything from outfitting their refrigerator to taking Captain Cook for walks. When the penguin falls into a deep depression it is only the delivery of a second penguin from the zoo, Gerta, that cheers him up. Soon the penguin pair lay some eggs and the Popper household is privy to ten more lovely jumpy penguins. With money hard to come by it takes a clever Mr. Popper to come up with a way to make his penguins not only profitable, but stars.

First of all, make certain that if you are reading a version of this story that you have grabbed one that has Robert Lawson's beautiful illustrations. The same illustrator that's responsible for the lovable picture book, "Ferdinand the Bull" has switched his focus from beef to fowl. These penguins are remarkably well drawn, from their inquisitive little eys to their ugly webbed feet. If you've never seen a Lawson illustration, here would be a good place to start. The writing of Richard and Florence Atwater is extremely readable for anyone of any age. The phrase, "they just don't make 'em like that anymore" is unfair, but also kind of true. There's something to the simplicity of this book that you just can't find anywhere else. It is, all in all, just fantastic. And with Lawson's adept renderings of all the characters and situations, you are left in no doubt that this is one of the best books of this or any other age.

So a great wrong has been righted. I am no longer in the dark regarding "Mr. Popper's Penguins". If you'd like to introduce your kids (or, heaven forfend, yourself) to a fantastic piece of penguin rookery, grab yourself a copy of this l'il number. It's bound to make you a fan.

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Summary: A Journey With Penguins
Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins is a light-hearted, happy-go-lucky story. Mr. Popper is a zany character. He works the entire summer as a house painter and interior decorator. During the winter he reads and dreams. Mr. Popper reads about all of the places he would like to visit. Among his favorite places to dream about is Antarctica. He reads the works of a famous explorer and even write letters to the explorer. His wife thinks he is crazy to communicate with the explorer, but when he gets a special gift from his hero, his wife knows he is crazy. The gift is a penguin, and he adores it. After one penguin turns into two and two becomes twelve, the house is full of penguins. The penguins carry Mr. Popper on a journey from the poor house, across the stage, through jail, and finaly to Antarctica. The best thing about this book is that even through the sad parts, the story remains humorous. This is a book for grades K - 6. In the lower grades the teacher or parent can read the story to the students. It will be a very popular read aloud book. In the upper elementary grades the students will be capable of enjoying the book on their own. I love and highly recommend this book for all readers.

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Summary: This is the best book in the world
Review: Mr. Poppers Penguin is the best book. The author is Richard and Florence Atwater. This is a Newbery Honor book. It is great for all ages because it is the funniest book in the world. My favorite part is when the penguins live in the freezer. The characters are Mr. Popper, Mrs. Popper, Admiral Drake, Mr. Greenbaum, Mr. Klein, Janie Popper and Bill Popper. The Penguins are Caption Cook, Greta, Columbus, Victoria, Nelson, Jenny, Magellan, Scott, Isabella, Ferdinand and Louisa. Hope you read this book.

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Summary: An enduring favourite
Review: My Grade 4 students gobble up this book! I include it in several " thematic literature kits": animal stories, award winners, and humourous stories. Reluctant readers are especially attracted to it, as it isn't difficult to read independently. It really grabs their attention and makes them laugh out loud. Even slow readers work hard to make their way through this novel.

Kids especially love all the penguins, their hilarious antics, and the bizarre trouble they get into.

It's also full of very interesting knowledge. We delve a little into history, getting a glimpse of life in the 1930's. We learn some geography, about exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic. And we certainly learn about penguins!

Written in the 1930's, this book has become a classic that hasn't lost any of its appeal for kids today. I've never seen a kid who didn't love it!