Mr. Popper’s Penguins: Chapters 1–4

by Florence Atwater, Richard Atwater
Mr. Popper, who dreams of exploring the polar regions, receives a penguin as a gift — and soon he training an entire penguin family to be part of Popper's Performing Penguins.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. spatter
    spot, splash, or soil
    He was spattered here and there with paint and calcimine, and there were bits of wallpaper clinging to his hair and whiskers, for he was rather an untidy man.
  2. tidy
    marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
    He was spattered here and there with paint and calcimine, and there were bits of wallpaper clinging to his hair and whiskers, for he was rather an untidy man.
  3. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    He had never seen those great shining white expanses of ice and snow.
  4. expedition
    a journey organized for a particular purpose
    How he wished that he had been a scientist, instead of a house painter in Stillwater, so that he might have joined some of the great Polar expeditions.
  5. bungalow
    a small house with a single story
    When he came to the gate of the neat little bungalow at 432 Proudfoot Avenue, he turned in.
  6. mend
    sewing that repairs a worn or torn hole
    Mrs. Popper picked up her mending, while Mr. Popper collected his pipe, his book, and his globe.
  7. spectacles
    eyeglasses
    As he put on his spectacles, he was quite pleased at the prospect of a whole winter of reading travel books, with no work to interrupt him.
  8. prospect
    belief about the future
    As he put on his spectacles, he was quite pleased at the prospect of a whole winter of reading travel books, with no work to interrupt him.
  9. disagreeable
    unpleasant to interact with
    She was not at all a disagreeable woman, but she sometimes got rather cross when she was worried about money.
  10. erect
    upright in position or posture
    They are the funniest birds in the world. They don’t fly like other birds. They walk erect like little men. When they get tired of walking they just lie down on their stomachs and slide. It would be very nice to have one for a pet.
  11. heathen
    a person who does not acknowledge your god
    “Dear me!” said Mrs. Popper in a shocked tone. “They sound to me like pretty heathen birds.”
  12. hastily
    in a hurried manner
    Mr. Popper put down his book of Antarctic Adventures and moved hastily to the radio.
  13. broadcast
    disseminate over the airwaves, as in radio or television
    “What of it!” he repeated, pushing the switch. “Why, this is the night the Drake Antarctic Expedition is going to start broadcasting.”
  14. impressed
    deeply or markedly affected or influenced
    “You wrote to Admiral Drake?”
    “Yes, I did,” Mr. Popper admitted. “I wrote and told him how funny I thought the penguins were.”
    “Well, I never,” said Mrs. Popper, very much impressed.
  15. meek
    very docile
    “Very well, my love,” said Mr. Popper meekly, and he settled down with his pipe, his globe, and his book of Antarctic Adventures.
  16. stray
    wander from a direct course or at random
    But somehow, as he read today, he could not keep his mind on the printed words. His thoughts kept straying away to Admiral Drake.
  17. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    But the penguin was not speechless. “Ork,” it said again, and this time it held out its flippers and jumped over the packing debris.
  18. stout
    fairly large
    It was a stout little fellow about two and a half feet high.
  19. waistcoat
    a sleeveless garment worn under a jacket and over a shirt
    Although it was about the size of a small child, it looked much more like a little gentleman, with its smooth white waistcoat in front and its long black tailcoat dragging a little behind.
  20. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    Down the hall it went and into the bedrooms, with its strange, pompous little strut.
  21. strut
    a proud and confident way of walking
    Down the hall it went and into the bedrooms, with its strange, pompous little strut.
  22. inquisitive
    showing curiosity
    Carefully Mr. Popper began to fill the bathtub with cold water. This was a little difficult because the inquisitive bird kept reaching over and trying to bite the faucets with its sharp red beak.
  23. shy
    timid and lacking self-confidence
    “Anyway, you’re not shy,” said Mr. Popper. “I guess you’ve got sort of used to playing around with those explorers at the Pole.”
  24. toboggan
    move along in a racing sled for one or two people
    Then it turned, and with outstretched flippers, tobogganed down on its white stomach.
  25. suitable
    worthy of being chosen
    "...He didn’t actually get to the South Pole, of course, but he made a lot of important scientific discoveries about the Antarctic regions. He was a brave man and a kind leader. So I think Captain Cook would be a very suitable name for our penguin here.”
  26. lively
    full of life and energy
    “Gork!” said Captain Cook, suddenly getting lively again.
  27. survey
    look over carefully or inspect
    With a flap of his flippers he jumped from the tub to the washstand, and stood there for a minute surveying the floor.
  28. upholster
    provide furniture with comfortable padding or covers
    Even Mrs. Popper had to smile as they watched Captain Cook, with the light of curiosity in his excited circular eyes, and his black tailcoat dragging pompously behind his little pinkish feet, strut from one upholstered chair to another, pecking at each to see what it was made of.
  29. sleek
    having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
    Mr. Popper opened the door for him, and Captain Cook stood very high and leaned his sleek black head back so that he could see inside.
  30. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    The penguin jumped up onto a chair and from there onto the edge of the table, flapping his flippers again to recover his balance. Then he walked solemnly around the table, and between the dishes of food, inspecting everything with the greatest interest, though he touched nothing.
  31. trill
    pronounce with a flutter of the tongue
    “O-r-r-r-r-h, o-r-r-r-h,” he trilled.
    “That’s a penguin’s way of saying how pleased it is,” said Mr. Popper, who had read about it in his Antarctic books.
  32. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
    “Bad, bad penguin!” reproved Mrs. Popper, glaring down at Captain Cook.
  33. waddle
    walk unsteadily
    Before she could do that again, Captain Cook hastily waddled out to the kitchen.
  34. ajar
    slightly open
    Mr. Popper turned the cold control switch to its coldest so that Captain Cook could sleep more comfortably. Then he left the door ajar so that the penguin would have plenty of fresh air to breathe.
  35. bore
    make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
    “Tomorrow I will have the icebox service department send a man out to bore some holes in the door, for air,” he said, “and then he can put a handle on the inside of the door so that Captain Cook can go in and out of his refrigerator, as he pleases.”
Created on Sat Jul 06 19:21:36 EDT 2019 (updated Mon Aug 12 09:53:11 EDT 2019)

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