Jenny's Birthday Book

The Cat Club

by Esther Averill

It's a big day for Jenny Linsky, the shy little black cat of Greenwich Village, when her brothers, Checkers and Edward, take her out for her birthday. They pick up her notorious friends along the way, including the twins Romulus and Remus, who have brought a special present, and Pickles, the Fire Cat, who gathers everyone into his red fire truck to take them to the park. There they will invite friends and strangers to share a picnic supper and dance the night away. Join Jenny and her friends in their romp around town in this beautiful birthday story!

Ages 4 and up.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, New York, Middle Grade

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Esther Averill (1902-1992) began her career as a storyteller drawing cartoons for her local newspaper. After graduating from Vassar College in 1923, she moved first to New York City and then to Paris, where she founded her own publishing company. The Domino Press introduced American readers to artists from all over the world, including Feodor Rojankovsky, who later won a Caldecott Award. In 1941, Esther Averill returned to the United States and found a job in the New York Public Library while continuing her work as a publisher. She wrote her first book about the red-scarfed, mild-mannered cat Jenny Linsky in 1944, modeling its heroine on her own shy cat. Esther Averill would eventually write twelve more tales about Miss Linsky and her friends (including the I Can Read Book, The Fire Cat), each of which was eagerly awaited by children all over the United States (and their parents, too).

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Linsky, her brothers Checkers and Edward, and her many friends celebrate her birthday in the park. With bluefish to eat and Jenny's favorite dance - the Sailor's Hornpipe - to enjoy, it's a party to remember...

This gentle storybook, devoted to the shy black cat from Greenwich Village, is a real treat for Esther Averill fans, who can enjoy the larger format illustrations to be found in a picture book. The inclusion of Pickles the Fire-Cat (a childhood favorite of mine) gave Jenny's Birthday Book added appeal for this particular reader...

[Sian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love jenny so much! Gorgeous illustrations and story. Charming. Thanks Bert for a great Christmas present!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shorter Jenny Linsky book but all the cats are there to help Jenny celebrate her birthday.

[Asho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was on one of the featured books shelves at our library and L was drawn to it immediately because of the kitties. Once we got it home we were surprised to see Pickles the Fire Cat show up as a character. We have his book at home and I hadn't realized it was part of a series. Now that I know, I am going to seek out more of these Jenny books because she is a very endearing character.
L was quite pleased with the cat birthday party and chattered away about all of the cats and what they were doing. I enjoyed the illustrations with their simple color palette. The book is very much of-its-era, but in a charming way.
L made Dad read this the night after I read it, so clearly it was a favorite.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Jenny's birthday and her brothers and friends are gathering in the park for a birthday picnic and dance.

The wrapped present in the shape of a fish is adorable.

I want a cat-sized fire engine.

One page made me check the copyright date. "They pick up Jenny's old friend, Florio, who wears an Indian feather in honor of the birthday." The cat is pictured wearing a headband with a feather sticking straight up. Definitely out of touch today, but acceptable in the 50s.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Dominic's favorites - Jenny Linsky and the gang! To fully appreciate the birthday story, it's good to read the other Averill titles in the series. This one is very short in comparison and is sort of like a reunion of all the characters you've already met. Very basic but sweet.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I think about it, perhaps it's the combination of new York realism with the touches of the absurd, like Pickles in his own little hook and ladder. Or cats dancing the sailor's hornpipe. It works.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, almost eerie picture book from the 1950s. A very simple story of cats getting together for a celebratory picnic in New York (as they do). I especially enjoyed the unusual font and the colours which are also out of the ordinary, of their time without being jarring or dreary.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is a bit sparse, but, the same familiar cats from the series are here, and the illustration of them dancing in the moonlit park is worth the price of admission!

First Line: "This is the day -- the day of days -- the birthday of the little shy black cat named Jenny Linsky."

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations.

[Children's Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only discovered this artist/author when rereading Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom and she was mentioned in one of the letters. I'm rereading this book for at least 3rd time and every time I try to read some of the picture books mentioned, so it finally came time to find some books by Esther Averill.

The book starts with:

"This is the day - the day of the days - the birthday of the little shy black cat named Jenny Linsky. Somehow it seems as if the sun were shining and the roses blooming just for her." Don't you just love this already?

The story is very simple, but the illustrations are quite charming. They alternate between black-line spreads and colorful spreads. The ending is super simple too - she just goes to her basket and falls asleep. (The basket on the last page is enormous, though. It doesn't match in size to the earlier page, and the same goes for her scarf - Yes! I notice these things. That's how my mind/eyes work.)

The font is black and quite big, always placed on white background, the space between the words is extra wide and the space between the lines is very wide too, but because the font is not that easy to read - this picture book would not work all that well as an easy-reader. (The publisher doesn't claim it is an easy-reader.)

I loved the opening line, but the rest of the writing is just plain. I caught 2 tiny errors.

A nice, quiet book that cat lovers will likely enjoy. Without bells and whistles, but with lots of whiskers.

[Chris Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways it’s a lot simpler than most of the Cat Club books, but it’s still genuinely lovely - Jenny still holds a candle for Florio, Pickles is as mad ever and I particularly liked the detail that other cats are just welcome to join in the party if they stumble across it. What makes it special is a slightly broader colour palette than normal, and it contains some of Averill’s loveliest art, with the dance sequence and particularly that beautiful final image of Crackers and Edward watching her spread out in her cat basket, dreaming away happily. Just gorgeous

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and sweet, shorter than her other stories, but I adore Jenny. Perfect to read on my own birthday.

[Sofia Badagliacca · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite childhood book

[Ange · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful edition with stunning illustrations. The story is mild and unexciting, but would be perfect to read to young children.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely dated, but that can be a good thing. Published in 1954 the sweet story of a little cat spending her birthday with her cat friends was adorable. Charming illustrations.

[Katejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny the cat is so cute! 🐈‍⬛😻

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Esther Averill book I read was The Hotel Cat. What I didn't realize at the time is that most of the other books are significantly shorter, being picture books instead of a middle grade novel. Working on the assumption that the other books were just as long I didn't think to look anywhere else in the children's library. It took my daughter looking for any picture book featuring a cat to find the others. The book she picked was Jenny's Birthday Book.

Jenny's an adorable black cat who likes to wear a red scarf. Jenny's Birthday Book explains how she gets it. She's invited out to celebrate her birthday with Checkers and Edward. They take her to a party in the park with all the other cats.

Harriet and I love Averill's bold use of color and her cute loosely drawn cats. Harriet spent a lot of time looking at all the different cats and describing them to me. She especially likes Jenny's "beautiful scarf."

Averill's Cat Club books are thankfully back in print. I recommend them to anyone who is a cat lover or a parent of a cat lover.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny Linsky is so gosh darn adorable, I want her for my very own. The Jenny Linsky series (and The Fire Cat) are just perfectly precious and wonderful and I can't sing their praises enough.

Jenny's Birthday Book is very light on plot, but there are so many sweet moments -- Romulus and Remus bring her a birthday present and tell her not to unwrap it yet. It is, of course, in the shape of a fish, and they are leaving a fish market with a sign that says "Fresh Bluefish Today." Little things like that are so charming.

Like many Jenny Linsky books, the story is more a series of moments -- there's nothing too exciting, but that's part of the charm. The illustrations are cute and old-fashioned, going from color to black-and-white and back again. I can imagine this comforting tale becoming a favorite for many children.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A shy little black cat named Jenny Linksy celebrates her birthday with her brothers and friends.

Jenny's brothers Checkers and Edward pick her up at her house, and together they transverse New York City gathering her friends for Jenny's birthday picnic in the park, which ends with a dance.

There is a cameo by Pickles from Fire Cat who is more anthropomorphized in this story than in his own. The twin cats are named Romulus and Remus, which is a nice allusion.

This is a story about birthdays and friendships, which young children will be able to use to reflect upon their own experience.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill was originally published in 1954. In this cat club book, Jenny Linsky, our star cat, our shy little black cat with the red scarf, has a special birthday with all of her friends whom we've met through the series. Pickles. Sinbad and The Duke. Florio. To name just a few. It is a lovely birthday. The book itself is sweet, simple, and charming. Especially if you like cats and vintage picture books. I think my favorite illustration is of all the cats dancing the Sailor's Hornpipe in the park.

[Green Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

One in a baker's dozen classic Cat Club books, this book celebrates shy black kitty Jenny Linsky's big day with a feline-filled picnic in Central Park! Romulus and Remus bring Jenny a bluefish tied up in a pink ribbon, Pickles the firecat comes along, and Florio the orange tabby wears a feather for the occasion! The kitties dance the sailor's hornpipe by the light of the moon! An old-fashioned birthday favorite.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Jenny's Birthday Book" is the heartwarming tale of Jenny, a cat who lives in New York City, as she travels around town to meet friends for her birthday. The magic of the City is written into every page and shows in every illustration. I would highly recommend if for fans of cats, and fans of The Big Apple.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read story about Jenny (I would put this at a difficulty level between The Fire Cat and the other books, which makes it a nice transition). The pictures are glorious and the story sweet. I'd never seen this book growing up (and I'd read every last one of these I could find back then) so I was thrilled to find something 'new' about Jenny and the other cats. Lovely book!

[The Library Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of my favorite childhood books. Yes, it's old fashioned, but Jenny and her cat friends still charm. I read it to a large group of 3-6 year olds this summer, and they really enjoyed it!

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute story and illustrations, but completely devoid of any conflict or a problem for the main character to solve.

[Alice]

cats

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loves the whole series of Esther Averill's Jenny books. We've read through all of the NYRB reissues at least 4 times now. Totally a hit!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather whimsical story about a cat's birthday, but full of fun and friends, a pleasant day with loved ones.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dated but a cute read.