Point of View

Mr. Popper's Penguins is told with third-person perspective. While the narrator often is allied with Mr. Popper, sharing the man's thoughts and motivations, the narrator is capable of seeing all and knowing all. However, there are certain points in the plot that are restricted to the Popper family's point of view in order to increase dramatic tension and interest. For example, Admiral Drake reports that he is sending a special surprise to the Popper residence, but the reader is not told what that surprise is. The reader is instead left to discover the surprise (a penguin) along with Mr. Popper as he opens the package.

As is typical of children's stories involving strange, magical, or surreal elements—in this case, a family of penguins living with a typical family in their home—the narrator speaks with authority, in a calm, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary manner, in contrast...