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Family Dinner Book Club: Mr. Popper’s Penguins

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It is time to kick off Family Dinner Book Club for the new year!  This month we are featuring Mr.  Popper’s Penguins by Atwater.

Grab a copy of the book and begin reading it with your family.

Then, use the great ideas below to plan your dinner. We have everything you need!

Family Dinner Book Club Mr. Popper's Penguins

Full Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

What is Family Dinner Book Club?

Just to review a bit… Family Dinner Book Club is a monthly book club for your family.  Each month, we share the title of the book that is being featured and provide all the details for your special club dinner. Conversation starters, menu ideas, and more are available to you.

We invite you to share a picture from your dinner with us anytime during the month on our Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page.

Now, on to preparing for book club this month!

Family Dinner Book Club: Mr. Popper’s Penguins Book

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

This story is about a house painter named Mr. Popper.  He is given a penguin as a gift from a polar explorer.  His house begins to fill with penguins and he has to figure out what to do!  Penguin upkeep is expensive and Mr. Popper decides to create a penguin show and take his brood on the road.  Will the lifestyle fit the penguins and Mr. Popper? You just have to read to find out.

kids books about penguins

Enjoy even more books about penguins.  I’ve go a whole list for you.—> Penguin Books for Kids

Family Dinner Book Club

Conversation Starters for Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Here are six conversation starters to get your dinner book club rolling.  Just click on this link (Mr. Popper’s Penguins Conversation Starters) for a one-page PDF file that you can print and then cut apart.  Use the cards on your chosen dinner night.  You, of course, don’t have to use all of them or you may even have some other discussion points that developed while you were reading.  These are just meant to be a guide.  Happy talking!

  • Mr. Popper dreams of adventure.  What type of adventure interests you?
  • Mr. Popper had to make a lot of adjustments in his house to accommodate the penguins.  If you have a pet, what changes did you have to make in your house for him or her?  If you were to get a pet, what are some of the things you would have to think about changing?
  • There are lots of events in the story.  What was your favorite part?  Why?
  • Look at our maps (see table decoration crafts) and find some of the places that Mr. Popper dreamed of visiting.  Look for India where he wanted to hunt for tigers, the Himalayas where he wanted to climb, the South Seas and the Poles.
  • How did people show sympathy to Captain Cook when he was ill?  How do you show compassion to people or animals who aren’t feeling well?
  • Based on your favorite reading materials, what would you name 10 penguins if they came to live with you?

Table Decorations for Your Book Club

We are all about simple table decorations!  Of course, these are completely optional.

penguin craft for mr. popper's penguins

1.  Using cardboard tubes, construction paper, scissors, and glue make a few (or 12) penguin friends for the table.

2.  Print out a world map and make enough copies for each person in the family.  These will serve as your placemats and help to answer one of the conversation starters.

3.  Create place cards/napkin rings using blank envelopes.  Each person can write their name on an envelope and an adventure destination of their choosing.  Cut a slit in the top of the envelope and slide in your silverware.

4.  Cover the table with white paper.  Use black crayons, markers, and or colored pencils to draw a design on your tablecloth.

5.  You could also create an ice sculpture as a centerpiece.  Freeze water in a variety of containers.  Stack the ice pieces in an interesting arrangement and refreeze.  Pull out the sculpture right before dinner and place it on the table.

Menu for Family Dinner Book Club for Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Mr. Popper is a house painter and doesn’t make a lot of money so they have a lot of beans for dinner.  Try Chef Sarah Elizabeth’s White Bean Soup.  It’s warm and cozy making it perfect for a chilly night.

White Bean Soup

Let’s also keep the white snowy theme going. A pot of soup needs some nice warm white bread. Start this loaf the night before and get ready for some easy fresh baked bread.  The recipe is from Scratch Pantry.

No-Knead Bread

A few sides like apple slices and tall glasses of milk will round out the meal.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is also a movie.  Cuddle up together to watch and compare to the book with a batch of White Chocolate Popcorn from I Heart Naptime for dessert.

White Chocolate Popcorn

We hope you are inspired to create a fun and meaningful Family Dinner Book Club with your own family.  Remember that we want to see pictures of your dinner.  Please share them on our special Family Dinner Book Club Facebook page.

Did you get your free list of Books Kids Will Beg You to Read?

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About Jodie Rodriguez

Jodie Rodriguez is a mom of two young boys and an early childhood/elementary educator with over 20 years of experience. Jodie's passion is helping parents, teachers, librarians and anyone else interested in nurturing and reaching ALL of our youngest growing readers.

Comments

  1. Stacie Theis says

    My daughter saw the movie first, but has since read the book and loved it even more! This is a great craft idea as well. Btw, I adore your website! Thanks for sharing this on the hop.

  4. Naila Moon says

    There are so many wonderful children’s books it is almost impossible to name one. However, my favorite book of all time is, “Daddy Long Legs”. It is actually closer to middle grade.

    I love this book to and the movie. 🙂 I think your dinner club idea is wonderful!

    Naila Moon from the Kid Lit Bog Hop
    http://readingauthors.blogspot.com/

  5. Monica says

    Hello! I am a mother of two girls, 7 & 8. We absolutely love to read, I also teach preschool programs in our rural community, through our parks and recreation commission. Any chance I get, I talk about , read, show, books to my little ones. This summer, I had to laugh, we went yard saling and came home with 2 bags of “new ” to us books…… We had everyone… I guess that’s why we chose them, they were already loves of ours.

    I am glad that I stumbled across you! Can’t wait to do this book club with my family, this year!

  6. Julie Grasso says

    Wow, this is great. I can’t wait till my little girl is old enough to do these activities. We are in love with Penguins at the moment, so thank you for a wonderful recommendation and for joining us on the Kid Lit Blog Hop

  9. Colleen says

    I’m so excited I just stumbled upon your site via pinterest!! I love this! We try to do movie nights but this is even better!

  10. Tonya Duncan says

    Discovered this blog by accident, but it looks very interesting and fun. I am not sure if my children have a single favorite book, but they repeatedly enjoy Goldilocks and the 3 bears and Where’s my Teddy? (Jez Alborough).

  11. Heidi says

    Some of our favorite books to read together are the Bear series by Karma Wilson, like Bear Snores On and Bear’s New Friend. We also have enjoyed I Love You Mouse and A Frog in a Bog. My son is now 8 and is really enjoying chapter books that we have been reading together as well. We are currently reading the 1st Harry Potter.

  12. Karen Heck says

    I was raised on Curious George. I am happy to see a revival of his books.
    I love to read Eric Carle books to my kids and class.

  13. Christine says

    I don’t know that I have one favorite, but I really love Skippyjon Jones, all the “Penguin wants to…”, Duck and Goose and many of the Sandra Boynton and Dr Seuss books. We also read Goodnight Moon and The Going To Bed Book hundreds of times to our daughters.

    I think that having a good rhythm is important for all children books.

  14. Loree says

    It’s hard to pick a favorite when I come across so many wonderful ones. My favorite as a kid was Madeleine and my kids favorites were any Dr. Seuss, Firefighter Piggy Wiggy, and Ping Pong Pig.

  15. Jenny says

    I love children’s books and reading to my son! His favorite was Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, but now he loves them all. When I asked him if he had a favorite, he said he couldn’t think of just one:) I love this idea of a family Dinner Book Club and can’t wait to give it a try.

  19. Courtney says

    I love children’s books! It would be so hard for me to pick just one! I’m absolutely loving the idea of a family dinner book club! I can’t wait to get started this year!

  24. Rebecca says

    That’s the hardest question I’ve been asked all day…and that’s saying a lot since I live with a very inquisitive 3 year old!
    We love our collection of Julia Donaldson books, Good Night Good Night Construction Site gets chosen at 95% of bedtimes, we almost always come home from the library with an Elephant & Piggy book, and my fondest memory of a children’s book is probably The Best Loved Doll. (Ask me again tomorrow…my answer might be totally different!)

  26. Santina says

    My favorite book for older children is Heidi. When they were little my kids loved the Big Hungry Bear and the Red Ripe Strawberry.

  27. Jamie Roper says

    I would love to have this collection for my budding readers! We love to read “Room on the Broom”!! And our all time favorite is “Where the Wild Things Are”!

  29. Erin says

    I love The Phantom Tollbooth. I’m waiting waiting waiting for Dylan (aged 5) to be old enough to appreciate it. Maybe in another 2 years?

    • Amber {Laptime Songs} says

      I’m excited to read this one to my kids, too! One of my favorites. I know that it’s recommended for 5th grade and even with an advanced reader in 3rd, I’m holding off a little longer. I’m not sure she’ll get all the plays on the language just yet.

  30. Betsy Brown says

    My favorite children’s chapter book is the Redwall series. This is a wonderful bedtime chapter book series from 4 years and up. I read this entire series to our son from the time he was four until he was 13, and even then, while he was quite capable of continuing on his own, he would, often, hand me the book and ask me to read in the RIGHT voices.

  31. Kimberly Wilder says

    I have a 9 year old boy. I really enjoyed Hank the Cowdog with him. We love the Stink Moody books. Henry and Beezus is what we are reading now and we are really enjoying it. There are so many good ones out there!!

  35. Samantha @ Stir the Wonder says

    This is such a wonderful idea! I can’t wait to start reading chapter books with my son & maybe get the whole family involved! Thanks for hosting this giveaway, maybe I can add to our book collection! 🙂

  41. Cristina says

    I love to read to my kids The Giving Tree. I have always wanted to have a Book Club with my family, I am so excited to start with Mr. Pepper’s Penguins because my son is already reading it for “Battle of the Books” at school. Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

  42. Courtney says

    Currently I love picture books (like Flashlight) because the illustrations tell the story in such a way that my 2 year old will “read” them to me. I love to see him get serious, sit down, and tell me what’s happening on each page!!

  43. Mimi says

    What a great idea! Just found your website and I am looking forward to using Mr. Popper’s Penguins as our first Dinner Book Club discussion book!

  44. Julie says

    My favorite children’s book when I was a kid was “Chicken’s Aren’t the Only Ones.” My girls and I have some many favorite books now it’s hard to pick one. “Harry the Dirty Dog” is one we read a lot. And every Mo Willems book.

  45. Kim says

    One of my favorite books to read with my kiddos is My Garden by Kevin Henkes. Also just finished Holes by Louis Sachar with my eight year old and we really enjoyed it.

  46. Allison says

    This is a tough one. For babies, I have to say “goodnight moon”. I read that to my seven year old nightly when she was little, and I’m doing the same with my now one year old. We read other stories too, but that one is always in the mix. For older kids I like the Berenstain Bear books – particularly the oldest ones. Can’t even recall how many times I’ve read about going to the doctor or dentist!

  47. Michelle Canavan says

    I am looking forward to trying this with my family. We love penguins and have used them often in small world play.

  48. Marcia says

    There are so many great children’s books so it is hard to choose one, but I think the Little House on the Prairie books are still my favorites.

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