Mr. Popper's Penguins

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.