83 pages • 2 hours read
Mr. Popper's Penguins
A 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 9-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “In the Barbershop”
As the barber shaves an older gentleman whose face is covered with soap, Mr. Popper and Captain Cook enter the barbershop. The penguin jumps onto a ledge to observe this process and reaches “his long beak toward the lather on the gentleman’s face” (58), while making a noise that sounds like “Gook.” The customer runs out of the shop, leaving his coat behind. The barber is annoyed with Mr. Popper and demands the penguin’s removal. Mr. Popper leaves through the rear door, carrying his pet. Captain Cook is intrigued by the back staircase; Mr. Popper humors him by allowing the bird to climb the stairs. Upon reaching the top, the bird toboggans down all three flights with his owner attached to his leash. The authors advise the reader that Mr. Popper “should have remembered that penguins will toboggan whenever they get a chance” (60).
When the pair reaches the ground, Mr. Popper attempts to distract the penguin from trying to climb the stairs again and calls a taxi for home. The driver does not laugh at his passengers until he collects the fare. Mrs. Popper is chagrined by her husband’s disheveled state when he returns; he explains that “you can’t always tell what a penguin will do next” (61), referring to his unexpected slide down the staircase of the barber shop. Mr. Popper retreats to rest as a result of all his exercise, while the penguin showers and then naps in the icebox.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Shadows”
A newspaper article regarding Mr. Popper and Captain Cook, along with their photo, appears in the local Stillwater paper. Subsequently, all the leading newspapers in the country run the story. While the Poppers are happy about this, the penguin’s mood is very sad. Bill laments to his father, “He won’t play with us any more” (64). It becomes clear that something is very wrong with Captain Cook. He won’t eat canned shrimp, and when Mrs. Popper takes his temperature, the thermometer reads 104 degrees.
The veterinarian visits the home but feels that the bird’s recovery is unlikely. He notes that “[t]his kind of bird was never made for this climate” (65) and can only recommend that the family feed Captain Cook sherbet and wrap him in ice packs. The Stillwater residents are very kind and try to help. The neighbors bring broth. Even Mrs. Callahan, is frightened of Captain Cook, makes him a frozen custard. It appears that Captain Cook will not survive much longer, and the family is heartbroken.
Mr. Popper writes to Dr. Smith, the Curator of an enormous aquarium in Mammoth City, asking for advice that might help his penguin. Dr. Smith replies that there is a penguin in his facility who is “failing rapidly” (67), and he speculates that the problem may be loneliness. As a result, he is sending the female penguin to the Popper’s house, in the event that the birds may help one another.
Chapters 9-10 Analysis
The unpredictability of wild animals is highlighted in a humorous way in this section. Captain Cook follows his instinctive mode of investigation by pecking at the neighbor’s striped stockings and at the lathered face of the barbershop customer; however, these humans are less charmed by these behaviors than Mr. Popper. As the story unfolds, the difficulties of acclimating an animal designed to live in the wild to a human environment are accentuated further.
Additionally, the financial repercussions of caring for the penguin are re-visited. Desperate to divert the bird from another foray up the staircase, Mr. Popper calls a taxi to bring them home—an extravagance that would not be a normal part of the family budget during his annual period of unemployment.
Wild animals who are confined to inappropriate human habitats suffer, as did Captain Cook. Despite the ministrations of the Popper family and neighbors, he loses his appetite and all interest in life. Mr. Popper consults an aquarium consultant who is experiencing similar difficulty with a lone penguin in his care and wonders “whether it is not suffering from loneliness” (67). The authors highlight the need of all animals for companionship when the arrival of Greta the penguin to the Popper home cures Captain Cook’s maladies.
Unlock all 83 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: