Jenny Goes to Sea

The Cat Club

by Esther Averill

In Jenny Goes to Sea , our heroine makes her passage on the good ship Sea Queen with her master, Captain Tinker, and her adopted brothers, tiger cat Edward, and black-and-white cat Checkers. Once on board, they meet the adventurous ship's cat, Jack Tar.

Leaving New York's harbor, the friends travel to Africa and Asia, and return through the Panama Canal. At each port they meet a colorful local cat who shows them around. Jenny and her pals have their fortunes told by an Abyssinian cat in Zanzibar; dance the sailor's hornpipe with Bobo the Burmese, another ship's cat who was left behind, in Singapore; and float with Siamese cat Dara in a sampan boat on a Bangkok river—a truly exotic adventure.

Ages 6 & up

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Geography, Animals, Cats, Picture Books, Chapter Books

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

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]

Shy Jenny Linksy - the red-scarved Greenwich Village cat - and her two brothers Checkers and Edward embark on an extended sea voyage with their human, Captain Tinker. Soon fast friends with Jack Tar, the ship's cat, these New York felines find adventure in many ports of call, from Capetown to Bangkok...

One of a number of titles featuring Jenny Linsky, long out-of-print and recently republished as part of The New York Review Children's Classics series, Jenny Goes to Sea should appeal to young chapter-book readers who like cats, or animal stories. As a confirmed lover of Averill's classic early reader, The Fire Cat , I was delighted to discover the existence of this series, which I somehow missed as a child, and have enjoyed reading it immensely. No kitty will ever eclipse Pickles the Fire Cat in my affections of course, but the winsome Jenny still makes for a charming heroine, and Averill's copious illustrations are a delight!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this as part of our geography lessons in homeschool. My 6yo absolutely loved it and always got excited when he saw it in the stack. It’s a cute story, but some of it is outdated which led to some confusion on the maps, but ultimately to good discussions.

[KathKin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love jenny and the Cat Club and the books about them! I was feeling stressed and sad (we had a dog put to sleep a couple of months ago) while I was reading this book. I made myself read only one chapter per night, because it was so soothing to me that I wanted to prolong the enjoyment. I can see how others might think these books are boring; they are definitely old-fashioned and slow-paced. But sometimes that is exactly what I need. Jenny (and Esther Averill) help me to relax.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one gets bonus points for stopping in at less common ports-of-call, for being at least sort of about shipping as transportation for goods (rather than people), and for demonstrating nicely the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy. Plus, I really loved the illustrations of the cats in their hammocks.



Library copy.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite honestly, the Jenny books bore me to tears. But Jenny herself is so winsome with her little red scarf and all, it would feel mean to give her anything less than a three. But if T wants to read any of the others, he's on his own.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grab a globe and find Zanzibar and Capetown while you read this--good for homeschool geography!

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a well put together little story and it definitely has some good adventure in it. And even if it is a children's book I actually found myself a bit nervous that the cats would get lost or left behind as they visited these far off places! It apparently is a very real possibility.

Did you ever imagine a cat going on a sea trip? To be tourists and to go see far off lands and to see fantastic things? Exotic buildings and tasty foods? Well Jenny and her brothers get to do just that! And since they are the main characters, their master turns a blind eye when they leave the ship to go off on their own sight seeing excursions.

Now if that was ME I would be freaking out "Where in the world are my cats??!" but there are no worries like that in here. Nope. Not a one.

But the cats themselves have the problems! And often it involves time. And things they are told by another mysterious cat. Will these things come true? Can they get back to the ship on time?

And in the end Jenny has to do one of the most scariest yet bravest things in her life.

The book does a very good job of making the story simple but exciting. It certainly is much better than the one about the hotel cat! And yes, there are scenes in here of raging seas with waves washing the deck and the ship tipping almost sideways. There are also lazy days on hammocks and soaking up the sun.

The added maps are nice too. You can see where these places are.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh I almost wish I didn't have to go to sea." "Nonsense," cried Pickles gaily. "It isn't every cat who gets a chance to see the wonders of the world."

They discovered their brother high in some ropes of the ship. He looked down with his same old adorable face. But when he spoke he gave a queer, wild laugh they had never heard before. "I have a naughty paw!" he cried excitedly. "Nonsense," said Jenny. "You have a very good paw." "I may get into trouble in the East," protested Checkers.

[Amii Ruan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for Geography in our homeschool curriculum this year. Some of the information, re names of countries, is outdated, but I pre-read in advance to change the names. We paired it with map work, drawing the route the Sea Queen took on it's voyage around the world.

My daughters loved the story and will often pretend to be the cats in their play, as well as drawing the cats on cards for friends.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t get enough of these charming felines! In this installment, Jenny and her brothers Edward and Checkers travel around the world with Captain Tinker and the ship’s cat Jack Tar. And Pickles, the Fire Cat, shows up to welcome them home. Besides the cat adventures, it’s a good geography lesson. Author and illustrator Esther Averill has me totally hooked.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny and her two "brothers", Checkers and Edward, head off to sea with Captain Tinker. The Sea Queen's Ship's Cat, Jack, clues them in on what it means to be ships cats, and travel to exotic ports of call.

First Line: "This was their last night at home--their last few hours on land."

[Nicholas & Megan Clinch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer read-aloud, picked up on a library whim. What a boost for an early grasp of where things ship 🚢 from all over the world. The boys loved hearing about cat breeds, the simple illustrations & maps, the cat hammocks, & asked if there are more Jenny Linsky 📚 to find.

[Leah Agirlandaboy]

Cute stuff. I tandem read this with my 7yo, and it was fun to look up videos of kids doing touristy stuff in all the places they visited. The illustrations were charming AF and my favorite part.

Kid review: “Pretty cute.”

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved “Jenny” books as a child. I really think the lady who ran the book mobile re-stocked it with a different “Jenny” book each time just for me! I read this to my grandsons when they were 7 and 9 and they enjoyed the drawings and the simple but fun story.

[Sara Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Jenny Linsky! We had to borrow all the Esther Averill books after reading "Jenny and the Cat Club." This is another great Jenny story, an "around the world" adventure which is so fun. My 6yo especially loved this one.

[carrietracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reasonably sure this would be appalling, but it really wasn't as racist as I thought it would be. It sort of maxes out with fetishism of the exotic, but other than that just a nice tale of cats sailing around the globe!

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly delightful adventure, especially fans of cats and ships. Would make a good read aloud or bedtime read for grades 1-3.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book with cats as the main characters on a voyage around the world. Children will learn nuggets of information about the world in every chapter.

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

cats on an ocean voyage: delightful!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting trip around the world for Jenny and her companions.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars for adding a Burmese cat as a character.

[Jenny Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read with Margot and she loved it 💖

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memorable story with cute illustrations.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic children’s book reprinted for today’s audience about the adventures Jenny Linsky, the shy cat, and her brothers have while traveling the ocean.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jenny and all the other cats in this series. These are delightful books.

[Gary Godefroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great children's book. Surprisingly, no mean characters or villains. Everyone of good or better character. Illustrations clever. Some made me laugh. Nice little adventure story. I read a review saying it was boring. Hey! It's a children's book for gosh sakes. You want a challenge? Try Ulysses.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Sara Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud with 8 y/o and 6 y/o. This book was the perfect addition to our homeschool world study. We loved sailing around the world with Jenny and her friends.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Goes to Sea (and the other Jenny books) are worthy read-alouds for young minds -- older children will likely find them a little too quaint.

In this book, Jenny and her brothers join their master, Captain Tinker, on a voyage around the world. They only really visit Africa and Asia, however, before returning home to North America. I was disappointed that the book doesn't give a view into Europe or South America, but I appreciate the views into other cultures anyway.

The cats visit a fortune teller, which provides the majority of the plot -- you may need to discuss whether the fortune telling is real. I appreciate that this event also provides the possibility to talk about self-fulfilling prophecy and whether the cats' beliefs that they were destined to do something influences their behavior. Once the prophecies are fulfilled, the plot sort of peters out. Unfortunately, the final destinations (Manila, Honolulu) are sped through before the cats arrive home.

The accompanying map snippets are wonderful. But keep in mind, this book was written in the 50s. The cats visit Siam instead of Thailand, and surely there are other differences in culture and landscape of the lands they visit. Adults should supplement the story with up-to-date information so nobody is mislead.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny and her brothers take a round-the-world trip and meet a ship's cat...and many other cats in various ports of call. I loved the glimpse of the way the world was back then. It kind of makes me wish I could take a steamer around the world like that though I suspect they don't take passengers anymore (and with piracy being what it is in some parts of the world, it's not necessarily a great idea. Captain Phillips anyone?)

Enjoyable story with not quite enough detail about the various ports. Ooooh...I wanted more! But it would have had to be a much longer book for that. (would that have been bed? I ask you...) I love Jenny and her brothers, and found this an enjoyable part of this series. I just really really love these books!