Mr. Popper’s Penguins was published in 1938. There were many events going on during that year that affected this generation of readers who were introduced to Mr. Popper and his penguins. Below is a small snapshot of the times:
Now, 77 years after its initial publication, its impact on the generations that followed is just as meaningful. Despite the its ups and downs, the story of a family finding happiness in the oddest of places is one that never gets old. Perhaps, this reviewer said it best:
“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 there was a 1938 children’s book that absolutely no one had ever told me to read before...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.” (vi)
There might never be a concrete answer about what happened to the wide disparity in popularity of the Atwaters’ story. Considered a classic by some and just another children’s book by others, the spirit behind Mr. Popper and his troupe of penguins is what has caused this story to last. As more and more children are being exposed to this story, Richard Atwater has achieved what biology could not: he has given his penguins the ability to fly. And so, Mr. Popper’s Penguins continues to soar into the lives of new readers and returning readers, allowing them to believe that extraordinary things can happen to the most ordinary of characters.
(i) "News and Events of 1938." Infoplease, 2015
(ii) IBID
(iii) IBID
(iv) "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present." American Library Association, 2015
(v) Bird, E.R., Amazon.com, 2004
- Hitler began his march into Austria (i)
- The minimum wage was established by the Fair Labor Standards Act (ii)
- Unemployment in the United States was at 19% (iii)
- Kristallnacht: 91 Jewish people living in Nazi Germany and Austria were killed and almost 30,000 sent to concentration camps (iv)
Now, 77 years after its initial publication, its impact on the generations that followed is just as meaningful. Despite the its ups and downs, the story of a family finding happiness in the oddest of places is one that never gets old. Perhaps, this reviewer said it best:
“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 there was a 1938 children’s book that absolutely no one had ever told me to read before...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.” (vi)
There might never be a concrete answer about what happened to the wide disparity in popularity of the Atwaters’ story. Considered a classic by some and just another children’s book by others, the spirit behind Mr. Popper and his troupe of penguins is what has caused this story to last. As more and more children are being exposed to this story, Richard Atwater has achieved what biology could not: he has given his penguins the ability to fly. And so, Mr. Popper’s Penguins continues to soar into the lives of new readers and returning readers, allowing them to believe that extraordinary things can happen to the most ordinary of characters.
(i) "News and Events of 1938." Infoplease, 2015
(ii) IBID
(iii) IBID
(iv) "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present." American Library Association, 2015
(v) Bird, E.R., Amazon.com, 2004