Richard Atwater studied at the University of Chicago and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in classical Greek in 1917. He taught as a professor there for several years, and he later wrote for newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Post, and the Evening Post. In 1932, after watching a documentary about
Richard E. Byrd's Antarctic expedition, he began writing a children's book, "Mr. Popper's Penguins." In 1934, Atwater suffered a stroke, and his wife, Florence continued working on the book. "Mr. Popper's Penguins" was published in 1938 and was awarded a Newbery Medal in 1939.