SLIS 5420

Module 2: Mr. Popper’s Penguins

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Book Summary:  Mr. Popper, a “house-decorator,” painter, and father, dreams of exploring the Atlantic during his holiday.  After writing to the famous Admiral Drake, Mr. Popper receives a surprise package direct from the South Pole, an antarctic penguin.  Penguins, however, can be very lonely without other penguins, so the edition of a second penguin begins the ultimate adventure that results in ten full-grown penguins who become international stars of the stage.  Through a series of humorous and far-fetched incidences (Mr. Popper must have a refrigeration system installed in his basement along with ice  blocks to construct homes for his penguins),  The Poppers’ love and dedication to their family of penguins delights the reader from the first “gawk” to the last. 



APA Reference: Atwater, R. and Atwater F. (1938).  Mr. Popper’s Penguins.  New York, NY:  Little, Brown and Company. 

Impressions:  With the recent film adaptation starring Jim Carrey, I was very curious about this little book.  Although the plot line is far-fetched, its simplicity and quirkiness is very entertaining.  As the penguins get into one snafu after another and Mr. Popper struggles to support his penguin and human family, I became attached to the web-footed creatures.  The nicely packaged ending that provides a “best of both worlds” conclusion did disappoint me slightly.  Hoping for some hint of a moral or lesson, I looked forward to the ending for a nugget of truth to take from the book.  Instead, I was left with humorous sketches of sparring penguins and gloved pianists.  For small children, however, the penguins’ hijinks and short chapters provide a pleasurable reading experience. 

Professional Review: 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 polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper’s fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue 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. Classic chapter-a-night fun. (Ages 5 to 10) –Richard Farr (Amazon.com)

Farr, R. Mr. Popper’s penguins [Review of the book Mr. Popper’s penguins].  Amazon.  Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Poppers-Penguins-Richard-Atwater/dp/0316058432.


Library Uses: This short chapter book would be a fun addition to a text set centered around penguins for a book talk.  Paired with nonfiction titles about penguins, it would provide a comical glimpse into the personality of the animals.  A display could include essential questions about penguins such as, “Do penguins live with their families?”

This entry was posted in book review, Newbery, SLIS 5420.

Module 2: Freight Train

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Book Summary: A colorful train in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple speeds across a simple track.  Simple, block letters describe  the types of car on the train through repeated sight words and short sentences.

APA Reference: Crews, D. (1978).  Freight train.  New York, NY:  Greenwillow Books. 
Impressions:  From the first sentence on a nearly blank white page, I was captivated, “A train runs across this track.”  With each page turn bold, vivid colors and text capture the eye and imagination Although very simple and two dimensional, the illustrations still manage to convey the motion and detail of the various cars.  As the train begins to move, the colors blur to create a perfect spectrum of color.  Simple phrases and verbs build early readers’ confidence with sight words while maintaining the action and speed of the train.

Professional Review:  From School Library Journal (1978) “Happily, Crews did a fine job with Freight Train’s illustrations which aptly convey the excitement of a train rushing by in a blur of color” (p. 131).

DeVinney, G., & Gerhardt, L. N. (1978). Freight train/rain (Review of the book Freight train). School Library Journal, 25(2), 131.

Library Uses: This text would make an engaging story time text for early readers.  Children could re-enact the story by using felt cut-outs of the train carts, tunnel, track, etc. and the teacher can help to label the motion of the train using the action verbs from the story.  

This entry was posted in book review, school library certification, SLIS 5420.

Module 1: On the Night You Were Born

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Book Summary:  Tillman celebrates a newborn’s unique contributions to the world from the magical sound of a name to “wiggly, wonderful toes.”  Across the earth, animals and nature join in the celebration;  polar bears dance, the wind whispers, and even the moon stays up extra late.  

APA Reference:  Tillman, N. (2005) On the night you were born. New York, NY:  Feiwel and Friends. 



Impressions:  The lilting, lyrical quality of this book recreates the comforting, rocking motion of a lullabye and leaves the adult reader with the desire to curl up in a rocking chair with an infant in his or her arms.  Much like a lullaby, the images and words combine to create a peaceful sense of night with dreamlike illustrations that incorporate music notes symbolic of the night wind.  The pages where text is limited to a phrase or short sentence such as, “Over the ocean….” “And through the trees…”  invite very young children to explore the accompanying illustrations focusing on one idea at a time.  Towards the end of the book beginning with “So whenever you doubt…”  children may become restless waiting for a page turn as the text lengthens.  Because of the sentimentality, abstract quality to the illustrations, and lengthy poetic pages, adults might favor this book over their young children.  It will, no doubt, still help to create the bond between parent and child during a shared reading time. 

Professional Review:  From School Library Journal (2007), “The dark blue night skies make a beautiful and dramatic setting for this special night.  The painterly art and poetic quality of the text make this an attractive book.  Parents and grandparents are most likely to appreciate it, but they will undoubtedly want to share it with a child.”  

Janssen, C. (2007). On the night you were born (Review of the book On the night you were born). School Library Journal, 53(3), 186-187.


Library Uses:  
This picture book would make an excellent mentor text for students to imitate poetry, particularly rhyming couplets.  By following the basic form of the text as a poem, students could create a “On the Night I was Born” book to introduce themselves through unique facts about their own birthdays.  Integrate research by having students find events that took place on the day they were born throughout history. 

This entry was posted in book review, school library certification, SLIS 5420.