83 pages • 2 hours read
Richard Atwater, Florence AtwaterMr. Popper's Penguins
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1938A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 19-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 19 Summary: “Admiral Drake”
Mr. Popper and all 12 penguins are placed in a patrol wagon and brought to the police station. The desk sergeant explains that the theater manager “is pretty mad at the way you busted into his theater” (131) and sets cash bail at $500 for Mr. Popper and $100 each for the penguins. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Popper have that much cash available, and their final salary payment will not arrive until the end of the week. The birds start to fail in the jail cell due to “the lack of exercise, combined with the heat” (132). Mr. Popper knows that Mr. Greenbaum is due to return to New York on Saturday from his trip to California, and he knows that his employer will help him with the bail.
A visitor does arrive at the jail on Saturday, but it is Admiral Drake. He heard about Mr. Popper’s problem at a dinner given for him by the Mayor and has come to help. Mr. Popper tells him the story of Captain Cook’s illness, his cure in the form of Greta, and the birth of the baby penguins.
Admiral Cook tells Mr. Popper that he has explored both the North and South Poles; however, he prefers the South Pole because penguins live there. No penguins may be found in the North Pole, but the government has asked the Admiral to travel there to establish a breeding colony. He asks the Poppers to allow him to bring their birds to the North Pole to start a “penguin race” in that area; they will help the men stationed at the North Pole to be less lonely. Mr. Greenbaum arrives with a friend, Mr. Klein, who owns a film company. Mr. Klein offers the birds roles in the movies and tells that Poppers that he will give them a contract “that will keep you and the missus on Easy Street the rest of your lives” (138). Mr. Klein notes that the penguins would bring joy to the children who would see them in the movies if the birds come to Hollywood.
Mr. Popper thanks both men for their offers and tells them that he will come to a decision by the next day.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Farewell, Mr. Popper”
Mr. and Mrs. Popper discuss which option is best for everyone. She tells her husband that the penguins are “really your responsibility” (141) and that he must reach his own conclusion.
The following day, Mr. Popper thanks Mr. Klein for his movie offer, but refuses because he feels Hollywood would not be good for the birds. He tells Admiral Drake that he will give him the birds because he is worried about their health in the warm climate; additionally, he feels sorry for the men at the North Pole “without any penguins to help them pass the time” (142).
Mr. Klein agrees with this decision, but offers the Poppers $25,000 if they will allow him to make a film of the penguins performing trips, and they accept his contract. Mr. Popper notes that it will be very quiet at home without the penguins; however, his painting season will begin soon, and it is time to go home. They plan to leave New York after saying goodbye to Admiral Drake and the penguins when they leave by ship the next day.
The ship’s crew work hard to prepare for the voyage to the North Pole, and the penguins are given the most comfortable quarters. Captain Cook and Greta have seen similar vessels in Antarctica and explain its functions to the young birds.
When it is time for the ship to depart, Mr. Popper says a private farewell to the penguins. He wipes his eyes afterwards and goes on deck to say goodbye to Admiral Drake. The Admiral says, “Aren’t you coming with us?” (146); Mr. Popper responds that he is not an explorer or a scientist, but merely a house painter. The Admiral disagrees, pointing out that Mr. Popper is the “keeper of the penguins” who must accompany them in order to care for them.
Mr. Popper shouts to his wife from the gangplank, asking if she minds if he is away from home for a year or two. Mrs. Popper replies that she will miss him, but there is enough money saved for several years; it will be easier to keep the house tidy in the winter without him there; and that she must get back to a meeting of the Ladies’ Aid and Missionary Society. She and the children wish him good luck. The penguins climb up on the deck and wave their flippers as the ship sails down the river on the way to the North Pole.
Chapters 19-20 Analysis
One of the central concepts of the book, which is that goodness and humility are rewarded, is emphasized in the last section. Mr. Popper has never been mercenary about finances; as the tour ends, his biggest concern is the well-being of his penguins. The strain of performing and the stress of enduring warm temperatures has been difficult for them. Like a good parent, he is willing to sacrifice the pleasure of their company to ensure their well-being.
Faced with the choices of either signing a contract with a Hollywood filmmaker that would make him wealthy but force the birds to live in a warm climate, or giving them to Admiral Drake in order to start a new race of penguins in the North Pole, Mr. Popper makes the honorable choice. He is assisted, but not directed, by the insightful Mrs. Popper, who points out “the advantages of both offers […] without trying to influence him” (142). When Admiral Drake insists that Mr. Popper accompany the sea voyage to the Arctic to help care for the birds, Mr. Popper demurs that he is merely a house painter; however, the Admiral names him “keeper of the penguins” and demands that he don a fur suit and accompany the voyage. Mrs. Popper and the children support this decision and the story ends with the beginning of a new adventure for the protagonist and his pets.
