Richard & Florence Atwater
Encyclopedia
Richard and Florence Atwater co-authored the book Mr. Popper's Penguins
, which won the 1939 Newbery Honor Award.
After her husband's stroke in 1934, Florence Atwater started teaching high school French, English and Latin, and wrote short pieces for The New Yorker
, Woman's Home Companion
and The Atlantic. She submitted her husband's original version of Mr. Popper's Penguins
to two different publishers but it met with no success. She rewrote parts of the book and the revised version was accepted by Little Brown and published in 1938 to great success. Mr. Popper's Penguins
won the Newbery Honor Award in 1939 and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
in 1958. It has been translated into many languages, and has never been out of print. But in the summer of 2011, it became a movie.
journalist. He wrote for a number of newspapers, including the Chicago Evening Post
, the Chicago Daily News
, the Chicago Tribune
, and the Herald-Examiner
. He contributed to the literary and arts magazine The Chicagoan
. He also taught Classical Greek at the University of Chicago
. He is probably best-known as the co-author, with his wife Florence, of the book Mr. Popper's Penguins
.
Richard Atwater's other publications include Rickety Rhymes of Riq, a book of poetry published in 1925; Procupius: A Secret History, a translation of the Greek story of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora, published in 1927; Doris and the Trolls, a children's book published in 1931; and The King's Sneezes, A Children's Operetta with music by Jessie Thomas, in 1933.
Richard Atwater suffered a pulmonary embolism in 1934 which left him unable to speak or write. He had finished a manuscript of a book he called "Ork! The Story of Mr. Popper's Penguins", inspired by a documentary
about Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic
expedition that he had seen with his family in 1932. His wife Florence revised the book after he became disabled, and Mr. Popper's Penguins
went on to become a children's classic.
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s...
, which won the 1939 Newbery Honor Award.
Florence
Florence Hasseltine (Carroll) Atwater (September 13, 1896–) was born in Chicago, the last child of Mary Josephine ("Minnie") Delany, a former concert pianist with the Philadelphia Conservatory, and James Carroll, a Philadelphia publisher. As Florence Carroll, she obtained her AB and MA in French literature at the University of Chicago (1920) where she was co-editor of The Chicago Literary Monthly, and student of Richard Atwater. They married in 1921 and had two children, Doris (1922-2000) and Carroll (1925-).After her husband's stroke in 1934, Florence Atwater started teaching high school French, English and Latin, and wrote short pieces for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Woman's Home Companion
Woman's Home Companion
Woman's Home Companion was an American monthly publication, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s....
and The Atlantic. She submitted her husband's original version of Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s...
to two different publishers but it met with no success. She rewrote parts of the book and the revised version was accepted by Little Brown and published in 1938 to great success. Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s...
won the Newbery Honor Award in 1939 and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1958. It has been translated into many languages, and has never been out of print. But in the summer of 2011, it became a movie.
Richard
Richard Tupper Atwater (December 29, 1892–) was a ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
journalist. He wrote for a number of newspapers, including the Chicago Evening Post
Chicago Evening Post
The Chicago Evening Post was a daily newspaper published in Chicago from March 1, 1886 until 1932. The newspaper was founded as a penny paper during the technological paradigm-shift created by the invention of linotype technology, and failed during the Great Depression...
, the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, and the Herald-Examiner
Chicago's American
Chicago American, an afternoon newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, was the last flowering of the aggressive journalistic tradition depicted in the play and movie The Front Page....
. He contributed to the literary and arts magazine The Chicagoan
The Chicagoan
The Chicagoan was an American magazine modeled after the New Yorker published from June 1926 until April 1935. Focusing on the cultural life of the city of Chicago, each issue of the Chicagoan contained art, music, and drama reviews, profiles of personalities and institutions, commentaries on the...
. He also taught Classical Greek at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He is probably best-known as the co-author, with his wife Florence, of the book Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s...
.
Richard Atwater's other publications include Rickety Rhymes of Riq, a book of poetry published in 1925; Procupius: A Secret History, a translation of the Greek story of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora, published in 1927; Doris and the Trolls, a children's book published in 1931; and The King's Sneezes, A Children's Operetta with music by Jessie Thomas, in 1933.
Richard Atwater suffered a pulmonary embolism in 1934 which left him unable to speak or write. He had finished a manuscript of a book he called "Ork! The Story of Mr. Popper's Penguins", inspired by a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
about Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
expedition that he had seen with his family in 1932. His wife Florence revised the book after he became disabled, and Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a children's book written by Richard and Florence Atwater, originally published in 1938. It tells the story of a poor house painter named Mr. Popper and his family, who live in the small town of Stillwater in the 1930s...
went on to become a children's classic.
External links
- Lesson plans for Mr. Popper's Penguins at WebEnglishTeacher.com
- Who's Who Chicago: Richard Atwater