Reviews
Although one would expect a classic, Newbery Award Honor book to receive many professional commendations, Mr. Popper’s Penguins was initially met with its fair share of skepticism.
The initial critics
In the first review, it is interesting to note that the criticism in the last sentence seems to outweigh some of the positive notations about the actual content of the book. It does point out, however, the importance of the visual aspects of the book and the impact that they have on the overall reading experience.
New York Times, October 23, 1938, E.L.B
“Indeed, the best part of the extravaganza lies in the adjustment of the first polar visitor to the everyday life of the painter’s household, which immediately became anything but humdrum, and this is described with a quiet matter-of-factness only matched by Mr. Popper’s, which underscores the incongruity and general daffiness….the situations themselves are enough to make any child chuckle and perhaps hope for word from Admiral Drake.
To the depiction of the penguins, in all conceivable moods Robert Lawson has brought not only his skill but his individual humor, and his portrayal of the wistful Mr. Popper is memorable. It was, however, unnecessary to have added a peculiarly hard shade of blue to some of the reproductions. Those in black and white are far more decorative.” (i)
What is interesting about the second review is the fact that there is a striking difference between the reviewer’s definition of “silly” as compared to their definition of “funny”. What the reviewer seems to be implying is that a humorous, far-reaching plot may not be seen by readers as as a comedic story.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1938
“This is rather a silly story, and I don’t believe children will think it particularly funny. A paper hanger and painter finds time on his hands in winter, and spends it in reading of arctic exploration. It is all given reality when he receives a present of a penguin, which makes its nest in the refrigerator on cubes of ice, mates with a lonely penguin from the zoo, and produces a family of penguins which help set the Poppers on their feet” (ii)
This next review is from Country Life Magazine. Lighter in tone, it appeals to the humorous side to the story.
Country Life, June 3, 1939, A.C.H.
“ The subsequent adventures of Mr. Popper and his Performing Penguins in all the best music-halls from coast to coast of America are joyful reading. But it is the illustrations which are the greatest delight of this very charming children’s book...The only danger is that this book may start a strong demand for penguins as pets, which will be very embarrassing to parents and shockingly bad for business in the dormouse and guinea-pig trade” (iii)
New York Times, October 23, 1938, E.L.B
“Indeed, the best part of the extravaganza lies in the adjustment of the first polar visitor to the everyday life of the painter’s household, which immediately became anything but humdrum, and this is described with a quiet matter-of-factness only matched by Mr. Popper’s, which underscores the incongruity and general daffiness….the situations themselves are enough to make any child chuckle and perhaps hope for word from Admiral Drake.
To the depiction of the penguins, in all conceivable moods Robert Lawson has brought not only his skill but his individual humor, and his portrayal of the wistful Mr. Popper is memorable. It was, however, unnecessary to have added a peculiarly hard shade of blue to some of the reproductions. Those in black and white are far more decorative.” (i)
What is interesting about the second review is the fact that there is a striking difference between the reviewer’s definition of “silly” as compared to their definition of “funny”. What the reviewer seems to be implying is that a humorous, far-reaching plot may not be seen by readers as as a comedic story.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 1938
“This is rather a silly story, and I don’t believe children will think it particularly funny. A paper hanger and painter finds time on his hands in winter, and spends it in reading of arctic exploration. It is all given reality when he receives a present of a penguin, which makes its nest in the refrigerator on cubes of ice, mates with a lonely penguin from the zoo, and produces a family of penguins which help set the Poppers on their feet” (ii)
This next review is from Country Life Magazine. Lighter in tone, it appeals to the humorous side to the story.
Country Life, June 3, 1939, A.C.H.
“ The subsequent adventures of Mr. Popper and his Performing Penguins in all the best music-halls from coast to coast of America are joyful reading. But it is the illustrations which are the greatest delight of this very charming children’s book...The only danger is that this book may start a strong demand for penguins as pets, which will be very embarrassing to parents and shockingly bad for business in the dormouse and guinea-pig trade” (iii)
The modern readers
These next reviewers reflect on their own experiences with the book. Obviously, for the first reviewer, this review was not written immediately after the they had read the book, but years later, as the memory of the reading experience was still impressed upon their memory.
Goodreads, December 13, 2008, Evan Schwenk
“The single greatest book of my childhood. (Nerd alert warning)...This will explain how much I enjoyed this book. When I first read it, I had inherited a copy from one of my older siblings. They had written their name in the front of it, because our mother has a weird obsession with putting our names on everything that was ours (especially books and clothes). When I was sent home with one of the scholastic book buy handouts (which I was obsessed with), I told my mom that we did not own the book. Yes...I lied to my mother in order to buy a seven dollar book when I was in third grade just so that I could put my name on the front cover. Still a little proud of that moment" (iv)
This next review is from a much later edition.
Amazon.com, Richard Farr
“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 the polar explorations….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.”(v)
Goodreads, December 13, 2008, Evan Schwenk
“The single greatest book of my childhood. (Nerd alert warning)...This will explain how much I enjoyed this book. When I first read it, I had inherited a copy from one of my older siblings. They had written their name in the front of it, because our mother has a weird obsession with putting our names on everything that was ours (especially books and clothes). When I was sent home with one of the scholastic book buy handouts (which I was obsessed with), I told my mom that we did not own the book. Yes...I lied to my mother in order to buy a seven dollar book when I was in third grade just so that I could put my name on the front cover. Still a little proud of that moment" (iv)
This next review is from a much later edition.
Amazon.com, Richard Farr
“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 the polar explorations….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.”(v)
A Change of Scenery: Review of an e-book
In 2011, Open Road Integrated Media, LLC published an ebook version of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. In addition to the story, this edition also included a biography of the authors. It included the original illustrations from the print book, as well as additional photos that were added to the biographical section. (vi)
Blogcritics, July 19, 2011, Xoxoxoe
“Kids will enjoy reading how Mr. Popper and his family deal with their entertaining and unpredictable penguins, and how the penguins deal with them and everyone they meet. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is still a wonderful book to read, and translates well to the ebook format.” (vii)
Blogcritics, July 19, 2011, Xoxoxoe
“Kids will enjoy reading how Mr. Popper and his family deal with their entertaining and unpredictable penguins, and how the penguins deal with them and everyone they meet. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is still a wonderful book to read, and translates well to the ebook format.” (vii)
(i) B. E. L., New York Times, 1938
(ii) "Mr. Popper's Penguins." NoveList, 2015
(iii) B. E. L., New York Times, 1938
(iv) Schwenk, Evan, Goodreads, 2008
(v) Farr, Amazon, 2015
(vi) Xoxoxoe, Blogcritics, 2011
(vii) IBID
(ii) "Mr. Popper's Penguins." NoveList, 2015
(iii) B. E. L., New York Times, 1938
(iv) Schwenk, Evan, Goodreads, 2008
(v) Farr, Amazon, 2015
(vi) Xoxoxoe, Blogcritics, 2011
(vii) IBID