Jenny and the Cat Club: A Collection of Favorite Stories about Jenny Linsky (New York Review Children's Collection) (Hardcover)

~ Esther Averill (Author, Illustrator) "In Captain Tinker's garden, once upon a time, there was a Cat Club..." (more)
Key Phrases: tall board fence, little black cat, Captain Tinker, Cat Club, South Street (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Esther Averill's collection of Jenny Linsky books deserves special mention. ...Told in clear, simple language that will appeal to younger children, all of these stories are delightful and festooned with simple illustrations every few pages that enhance, but never dominate, the melodious text." --The San Francisco Chronicle

Product Description

In Greenwich Village, an orphaned black cat — the beguiling Jenny Linsky — lives happily with her sea-captain master. Jenny longs to join the local Cat Club, whose members include Madame Butterfly, the fancy dancer Macaroni, and stately, plump Mr. President. But can she prove that she, too, has a special gift? Join Jenny and her friends, including fearless Pickles the Fire Cat, mascot of Hook and Ladder Company 7X, on their spirited and sweet downtown adventures and discover the wonderful world of this special feline and her friends.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: NYR Children's Collection (November 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590170474
• ISBN-13: 978-1590170472
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #42 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Short Story Collections
  #78 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Cats > Fiction
  #96 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Anthologies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A favorite book as a kid, still good as an adult, September 8, 2003

By	roguealleycat "roguealleycat" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jenny and the Cat Club: A Collection of Favorite Stories About Jenny Linsky (Hardcover)

I still have my worn out yellow paperback copy of this book with the picture of Jenny Linsky, the little black cat with the red scarf, on the cover. When a little black cat came and hid in my childhood backyard, I insisted on naming him (yes, him) Jenny. He wore a red collar, because my parents thought a scarf would drag on the ground and choke him.

I have been an ardent cat-lover as long as I can remember, and as a child I was fascinated by the stories of the Cat Club who gathered outside at night and had all kinds of adventures. Given that I was an intensely fact-driven kid, I admit to a little confusion about whether cats could actually act the way they did in the books, how Pickles would keep (or want to keep) his fire hat on, and how much of the book was real. The fact that it was based on real cats made this more confusing, and as a kid I didn't understand the idea of blending cat and human features to make an amusing but quite fantastical story. I don't remember any other kids having that particular problem with the book, though, so I'll chalk it up to my having been a weird kid.

I just pulled this book down off my bookshelf today, and after all these years it's still a book I enjoy. My favorite story is still "Jenny's Adopted Brothers", in which Jenny invites two stray cats home to stay with her. If I ever had children, I would definitely give them this book, and a number of adults would probably enjoy it as well. It could also be a good opportunity to teach the sort of kid I was about the possibilities of creatively blending fact and fiction when writing -- it was one of the few books I was willing to suspend disbelief for, because the stories were so interesting.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jenny Linsky taught me to read., March 26, 2004

By A Customer

There's a time most of us probably don't remember when we make the conceptual leap from looking at a bunch of letters on a page to reading. Jenny did this for me.

My grandmother sent me the first Jenny Linsky books before I was old enough to start school. My parents read them to me--at first. For the rest of his life my Dad said that he, too, adored Jenny Linsky because all he had to do was put me in his lap, open the book, and turn the pages. I did all the rest.

Years ago, before internet use was common, I asked a woman who owned a children's bookstore if she carried the Jenny Linksy books. She condecendingly told me that she never heard of them. No wonder that store went out of business.

Later, when I went online and tried to find the books, all I could find were rare collectors copies.

I'm thrilled to see these reprinted. I owe Jenny for a lifetime of happy reading.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We love the Cat Club!, July 8, 2004

By	zobella (Carmel, IN) - See all my reviews

Over a period of days, I read my 7 and 4 year old the stories in this lovely book. We all just loved them - the stories are such a refreshing change from more modern stories. They are old-fashioned, but still relevant and engaging to children. Jenny Linksy is charming, but has her faults. She admirably faces challenges and is willing to admit when she's wrong. My kids kept asking questions about the stories and making comments about Jenny and her friends for days after each reading. They totally looked forward to the next story. Echoing a prior reviewer's comment - Please publish the rest of the stories!