Book Description
Jenny Linsky, the famous little black cat of Greenwich Village, has never been to school before. When her master, Captain Tinker, sends her to a boarding school in the country to learn the special knowledge of cats — manners and cooperation — she is afraid, among strangers, and so far from home. As soon as she's settled in, taking off the red scarf that makes her feel brave, another student named Pickles, the Fire Cat, is up to his usual mischief, and chases her with his fire truck hook and ladder. She is terrified and runs away. Walking along the railroad tracks, Jenny catches the smell of the city: "You can have the daisies. Give me the sidewalks of New York."
Jenny soon realizes that the Captain would be disappointed if he found out she had left school. It’s then that Jenny decides to stand up to Pickles. She returns bravely and when Pickles next tries his tricks, he's surprised at the "new" Jenny. Pickles learns his manners and Jenny learns that not only can school be fun, but the friendships she makes there will last forever.
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. 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).
