Mr. Popper's Penguins

The penguins become so popular that crowds of people wait in line at theaters to buy tickets to their show. An opera singer appearing at the same theater as the birds in Minneapolis is upset about appearing on the same bill as the birds: “[S]he refused to go on the stage unless the penguins were put away” (116). Although the Poppers remove their pets, the birds sneak up through another staircase and appear in the orchestra pit with the musicians. Mr. Popper is worried about disturbing the musicians while trying to retrieve the animals, but Mrs. Popper and the children are able to catch them. The birds feel very guilty when they see Mrs. Popper, so they run up on stage and hide under the opera singer’s skirts.

The family and their birds are now on the Pacific coast, and they have lived in hotels for almost five months. Some hotelkeepers object to the penguins staying in their rooms but always reverse themselves when they see how pleased the other guests are to watch the animals. Although the Poppers have earned a great deal of money while touring, they also have many expenses, such as hotel rentals, taxi fares, restaurant meals, and the cost of “huge cakes of ice brought up to their hotel rooms, to cool the penguins” (119).