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amandagstevens's reviews
1224 reviews
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
2.0
I have a low-key ambition to read all the Newbery books, and this one thankfully didn’t win the medal but did score an honor…somehow. It’s genuinely bad, and not because it’s unrealistic (it’s clearly a comedy from the start).
I wouldn’t hand this one to kids even for fun, because the portrayal of the marriage is just such a mess—and in the spirit of many early Newberys when children’s lit was not necessarily written about children or from their perspective, the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Popper is the primary relationship in this story (or secondary if we’re counting Mr. Popper’s penguin obsession, but that one is a one-way street, so).
Mr. Popper is irresponsible and incompetent, and Mrs. Popper is the only stop-gap between him and utter bankruptcy. Oh, and the starvation or eviction or whatever of their two children. Mrs. Popper points out these things in a fairly gentle fashion yet is portrayed in the first half of the book (before she fully engages with the penguins) as a nag. Several times she comments on the difficulty of keeping her house clean when her husband is at home making messes; her life is so much easier when he is at work. Never once does Mr. Popper pitch in with housework of any kind. He doesn’t clean up after his own self or pets. He is, after all, a man.
Granted, gender roles in 1939 were perceived and enforced exactly like this. The book is merely a “product of its time.” But kiddos don’t need to be reading this example of a clueless irresponsible man getting his way (and ultimately ditching his family while his wife agrees he definitely should ditch them—since she’ll be able to keep the house cleaner without her husband around). There are many, many better children’s books out in the world nowadays.
I wouldn’t hand this one to kids even for fun, because the portrayal of the marriage is just such a mess—and in the spirit of many early Newberys when children’s lit was not necessarily written about children or from their perspective, the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Popper is the primary relationship in this story (or secondary if we’re counting Mr. Popper’s penguin obsession, but that one is a one-way street, so).
Mr. Popper is irresponsible and incompetent, and Mrs. Popper is the only stop-gap between him and utter bankruptcy. Oh, and the starvation or eviction or whatever of their two children. Mrs. Popper points out these things in a fairly gentle fashion yet is portrayed in the first half of the book (before she fully engages with the penguins) as a nag. Several times she comments on the difficulty of keeping her house clean when her husband is at home making messes; her life is so much easier when he is at work. Never once does Mr. Popper pitch in with housework of any kind. He doesn’t clean up after his own self or pets. He is, after all, a man.
Granted, gender roles in 1939 were perceived and enforced exactly like this. The book is merely a “product of its time.” But kiddos don’t need to be reading this example of a clueless irresponsible man getting his way (and ultimately ditching his family while his wife agrees he definitely should ditch them—since she’ll be able to keep the house cleaner without her husband around). There are many, many better children’s books out in the world nowadays.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
4.0
Capote has an assured narrative voice, and it's undeniable he seeded a whole genre with this book, so four stars feels fair. But certainly not five, because his dogged claim that every quote in this book is verbatim from his memory...well, that's just arrogant nonsense. This is clearly a NOVEL based on the events of the Clutter murders, in which people are turned into characters and dialogue/thoughts are extrapolated all over the place. This is not nonfiction, and I'm not on board with calling anything a "nonfiction novel," so...four stars it is.
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
informative
reflective
relaxing
5.0
Oh, how I love this beautiful book. The art is just lovely, both accurate and impressionistic. The prose is observant, quiet, with an occasional subtle lilt like poetry. And the Author's Note and About the Animals section are the perfect factual complement to the main body of the book. I can't express how much "little me" would have treasured this book. It was written and illustrated for the exact type of kid I was--introverted, artistic, constantly seeking information about things I cared about, and in love with wildlife and nature.
I bought this sight unseen based on the cover and the concept, and I'm so glad I did. The rest of the series just went onto my list of to-buy books!
I bought this sight unseen based on the cover and the concept, and I'm so glad I did. The rest of the series just went onto my list of to-buy books!