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Mr. Popper's Penguins (Newbery Honor Book) Paperback – November 2, 1992

by Richard Atwater (Author), Florence Atwater (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4,729 ratings
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The classic Newbery Honor book that inspired the hilarious Jim Carrey movie--and a childhood favorite book for generations.

Mr. Popper's Penguins is one of the handful of American books for children that has attained the status of a classic. A humble house painter is sent a male penguin by the great Admiral Drake and, thanks to the arrival of a female penguin, soon has twelve penguins living in his house. First published in 1938, Mr. Popper's Penguins has amused and enchanted generations of children and their parents.

Don't miss the sequel, The Popper Penguin Rescue!
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 9 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    160 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 and up
  5. Lexile measure
    910L
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.65 x 7.6 inches
  7. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  8. Publication date
    November 2, 1992
  9. ISBN-10
    0316058432
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0316058438
  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater and Florence Atwater graphic
Mr. Popper's Penguins HC Mr. Popper's Penguins The Popper Penguin Rescue
Mr. Popper's Penguins Mr. Popper's Penguins The Popper Penguin Rescue
Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4,729
4.7 out of 5 stars
4,729
4.6 out of 5 stars
249
Price $17.19 $6.94 $7.99
Lots and lots of Popper penguins! Jacketed Hardcover: The classic Newbery Honor book that has amused and enchanted generations of children and their parents. Paperback: The classic Newbery Honor book that has amused and enchanted generations of children and their parents. In an original adventure, inspired by the beloved classic, Nina and Joe Popper must help two new penguin hatchlings find a home.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

More than 60 years have not dated this wonderfully absurd tale--it still makes kids (and parents) laugh out loud. Poor Mr. Popper isn't exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen the Poles, and spends his spare time between house-painting jobs reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper's fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue is never the same again. From one penguin living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins, all of whom must be fed. Thus is born "Popper's Performing Penguins, First Time on Any Stage, Direct from the South Pole." Their adventures while on tour are hilarious, with numerous slapstick moments as the penguins disrupt other acts and invade hotels. Classic chapter-a-night fun. (Ages 5 to 10) --Richard Farr

About the Author

Before his death in 1948, Richard Atwater was a newspaper columnist and a professor of Greek. He is best known for writing Mr. Popper's Penguins with his wife, Florence, who finished the novel when he fell ill. Together, they were honored with the 1939 Newbery Honor Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reissue edition (November 2, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316058432
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316058438
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 9 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 910L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.65 x 7.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4,729 ratings

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  1. Florence Atwater

    Florence Atwater

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    Richard Tupper Atwater (1892–1948) lived in Chicago and worked as a journalist, often writing humorous pieces for newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune. He wrote two books for children before beginning Mr. Popper’s Penguins, a 1939 Newbery Honor Book. Before he could finish the story, however, he became ill. His wife, Florence Hasseltine Atwater (1899–1979) finished the book, helping launch a story that has remained popular for generations.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Richard Atwater

    Richard Atwater

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    In 1932, Richard Atwater and his wife, Florence, took their two daughters to see a documentary film about Richard E. Byrd’s Antarctic expedition. Mr. Atwater was very impressed by the movie, and he decided to write a book about the penguins from Antarctica. When one of his daughters objected to children’s books about history, he started to write a magical story about a group of penguins, which would later become Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

    Richard Tupper Atwater was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1892. He studied at the University of Chicago and taught Greek there while in graduate school. He later went on to work as a writer for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers. Florence Hasseltine Carroll was born in 1896 in Chicago, Illinois. She also obtained two degrees at the University of Chicago, where her Classical Greek teacher was a young man named Richard Atwater! They married in 1921. Florence taught high school French, English, and Latin, and she also wrote a number of articles for the New Yorker and the Atlantic.

    Richard’s first children’s book was Doris and the Trolls, about two children who follow a cat named Mitzi to a land of mischievous trolls to rescue the Ting Tang Fairy. His second was a children’s operetta called The King’s Sneezes. In it, the Fiddlers Three have been sent to the dungeon for laughing when King Nicholas sneezes, and it’s up to young Max Luckyfoot to cure him.

    Richard had completed a manuscript called Ork! The Story of Mr. Popper’s Penguins, when he suffered a severe stroke in 1934 and was forced to stop writing. He lived until 1948, but could never write again. So Florence took over.

    After two publishers rejected the book, Florence rewrote the story, keeping many parts the same but adding more realistic events. (In the version written by Richard Atwater, Mr. Popper draws a penguin on a mirror with shaving cream and it comes to life!) The revised manuscript was accepted and published in 1938.

    Florence lived until the age of eighty-three and died in 1979. Mr. Popper’s Penguins remained a bestselling book throughout her lifetime, and has enchanted children and adults for over seventy years. It has won many awards, including the Newbery Honor, and has been translated into many languages.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
4,729 global ratings
Book did not arrive in good shape
4 Stars
Book did not arrive in good shape
I'm sure the story will be great. I got this book to give to my granddaughter because it is a classic. However, the book is intended to be a gift, but sadly it arrived creased and not in very good shape. I believed this was a brand new book. Perhaps it is not?
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Top reviews from the United States

Tiffany
5.0 out of 5 stars Child enjoyed the story!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
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This books was for a middle school child. He enjoyed the story and learned about some differences from the past (setting of the book) and the present. He liked the ending and found it surprising. The penguins were a hit too! ;) The story is written well and starts with learning about the type of person the main character is and develops into an interesting tale. The only difficulty with this book for young readers is not necessarily knowing some of the older vocabulary, however I think the story outweighs this.
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Catherine
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun story
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
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I've been dying to read this book with my 5 year old (who was penguin obsessed for a long time). We are having fun reading it to her and our 3 year old son. They love the humor. The chapters are short and easy to get through. And all the mischief keeps us laughing! Great book, happy to have it on our shelf!
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S Lucas
5.0 out of 5 stars My six year old says “5 stars”
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024
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Read as a part of the Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Program, my six year old really enjoyed the book.
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Kathi
4.0 out of 5 stars Book did not arrive in good shape
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
I'm sure the story will be great. I got this book to give to my granddaughter because it is a classic. However, the book is intended to be a gift, but sadly it arrived creased and not in very good shape. I believed this was a brand new book. Perhaps it is not?
Customer image
Kathi
4.0 out of 5 stars Book did not arrive in good shape
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
I'm sure the story will be great. I got this book to give to my granddaughter because it is a classic. However, the book is intended to be a gift, but sadly it arrived creased and not in very good shape. I believed this was a brand new book. Perhaps it is not?
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michelle rodgers
5.0 out of 5 stars We enjoyed this book!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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Loved it. Brought back memories from my child hood.
Would recommend to any child. We read together and enjoyed many fine discussions .
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Kali
5.0 out of 5 stars Popper’s Penguins is a rare treat
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2023
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I’ve heard of this book for years but never imagined it would be so much fun. A delightful turn back in time with unimaginable joy!
One person found this helpful
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Looking forward but not today
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
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My kiddo had to do a report and absolutely ended up loving this book. It’s a must read for kiddos.
One person found this helpful
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Amelyn Randall ~ Double-Edged Words Book Blog
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic for kids of all ages (including 47-year-old ME!)
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
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!
40 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Zeke
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect classic for the collection.
Reviewed in Canada on February 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
My son is reading Mr. POPPERS PENGUINS in his class so I figured we could read it together at home as he has questions on each chapter to answer. Price was great and has made for some excellent mother son time. Great buy!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A really entertaining read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
I came across this book and decided to check it out as I've seen the Jim Carrey film of the same name.

I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed it and found it to be an excellent book and one that was easy to read and understand. It was comical too.
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RVO
5.0 out of 5 stars Recomendable para niños
Reviewed in Mexico on September 23, 2020
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Mi hijo de 9 años le gusto.
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Akshya Sharma
5.0 out of 5 stars Mr poppers penguins
Reviewed in India on November 25, 2021
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Penguin part was amazing when they were on the stage and this story is to funny you must read it
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable classic
Reviewed in Australia on May 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
I have read this for the first time as an adult. It is a lot of fun and unpredictable. A house painter gets sent a penguin and all sorts of adventures result.
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