“It was an afternoon in late September.”

From Richard and Florence Atwater’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

Mr. Popper is a house painter that lives a quiet life in the town of Stillwater, but he is always dreaming of bigger and better things.  Despite the happy life he’s built in Stillwater with his wife and children (Janie and Bill), Mr. Popper is always itching to travel the world, especially Antarctica and the Arctic.  After Mr. Popper sends a letter to Antarctic Explorer Admiral Drake, he is surprised, but thrilled, to receive an unexpected gift from Drake: a penguin.  While Mr. Popper and his children are thrilled to have the little penguin they’ve named Captain Cook, Mrs. Popper is less than thrilled by the bird’s arrival, but Cook’s sweet antics quickly win her over.  However, life with a penguin is not always easy as the Poppers soon discover between fixing up their refrigerator so Captain Cook can have a cool place to nest, trying to figure out what to feed him, and nosy neighbors.  The penguin’s arrival in Stillwater quickly becomes big news and propels Mr. Popper and Captain Cook into local celebrities.  The more time Mr. Popper spends with his penguin, the more he is fascinated by the bird’s behavior and actions, but while money is normally tight during the painter’s off season, the unexpected arrival of the little penguin quickly puts a strain on every aspect of the Poppers’ life.  Through a series of unexpected and interesting events, Mr. Popper finds himself with gifted another penguin named Greta, which quickly leads to ten baby penguins until the Popper family includes four humans and twelve very talented birds from the Antarctic.

This classic children’s book is charming and captivating for readers of all ages.  The Atwaters do a solid job of creating an interesting cast of characters and situations, especially when coupled with the various illustrations.  Mr. Popper’s Penguins is an unforgettable story that is a perfect quick read.