Mr. Popper's Penguins

Atwater, Richard / Atwater, Florence. Mr. Popper's Penguins. Illustrated by Robert Lawson. First printing. New York, Scholastic Book Services / Little, Brown & Co., 1964. 13.5 x 19cm. 128 pages, with illustrations throughout. Original softcover. Minor signs of external wear, including creasing to front jacket, otherwise very good condition. Some text underlining. [Scholastic Book Services, TX 571]. A classic of American humor, first published in hardcover in 1938, the adventures of a house painter and his brood of high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations. More than 60 years have not dated this wonderfully absurd tale--it still makes kids (and parents) laugh out loud. Mr. Popper 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 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. [Richard Farr]