Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper paints houses in spring and summer and spends the long winters reading about the Arctic and Antarctic. He writes a letter to Admiral Drake, whose expedition he has been following on the radio, and to his delight the admiral answers by sending him a penguin. Captain Cook, as the bird is named, quickly settles into the Popper house, sleeping in the refrigerator, swimming in the bathtub and inspecting everything with great curiosity.

When Captain Cook becomes lonely and ill, a kind aquarium sends a female penguin, Greta, and before long there are twelve penguins living in the Poppers' home. The basement is turned into a frozen playground with ice and snow, but the cost of feeding them all is enormous and the family's savings run out. Mrs. Popper and the children help train the birds to march, box and perform, and Popper's Performing Penguins set off on a theater tour across the country, with plenty of mishaps and a final decision about the birds' future.

Short, warm and funny, with classic illustrations by Robert Lawson. About 160 pages. Written by Richard Atwater and completed by his wife, Florence.