We have not seen the recent film, but I am guessing, from the film photographs used to illustrate the book, it must be a bit different. I won't tell you how an out-of-work house painter manages to pay for all that (wouldn't want to spoil the ending), but I will say that the process is highly entertaining for all involved. Kirkus Reviews, on the other hand, stated in 1938: "This is rather a silly story, and I don't believe children will think it particularly funny. Light spotting to front board, light toning to spine, in dust jacket with toning to front panel and rear panel flap fold edge, spine darkened, light chipping to ends of spine and rear panel top edge, a very good copy. Richard’s first children’s book was Doris and the Trolls, about two children who follow a cat named Mitzi to a land of mischievous trolls to rescue the Ting Tang Fairy.

My son the nature-lover, who is not as avid a reader as his brothers, is a die-hard fan of this book.

I made all my pets read this to try and make them understand that they need to support ME for a change.

I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed it and found it to be an excellent book and one that was easy to read and understand. Might have been be better to have got a book with illustrations relating to the story being read, as seemed unsatisfactory to a young listener. In 1932, Richard Atwater and his wife, Florence, took their two daughters to see a documentary film about Richard E.Popper's Penguins is one of the handful of American books for children that has attained the status of a classic.