Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

Chapter 1: Mr. Popper is a house painter living in Stillwater. He often strays from his work to fantasize about exotic locations and adventures. He has never been outside of Stillwater, and though he has a good job and a good wife with two children, Bill and Janie, he longs for something more. He particularly loves reading and watching movies about the Arctic and Antarctica. Winter is coming, and that means the season for house painting is over. Mr. Popper has just ended his last job, and returns home covered in paint. Mr. Popper does not look forward to a long, listless winter with little to do but sit around the house. He volunteers to remodel the bathroom, but Mrs. Popper rejects the offer, because Mr. Popper had already painted the bathroom four times previously. For her part, Mrs. Popper worries about...