General Vibe:
Jenny and the Cat Club is the beginning of a series of books written and charmingly illustrated by Esther Averill about Jenny Linsky, the shy, little black cat with a red scarf who lives with her master, Captain Tinker. My kids just love cats. We have one outdoor cat, and for years they have loved pretending to be cats. I like that there is usually an illustration on just about every page, which my almost 5 year old needs. Before she climbs into bed and I'm still reading, she says, "tell me if there's a picture," and I inevitably say when reading this book, "but there's going to be a picture on just about every page." I really like the artistry in this book. It's mostly black and white wood blocks with sparing use of red and yellow coloring. Some cats are yellow and then some details might be emphasized with one simple color, such as Jenny's red scarf.
Plot and Characters:
I don't really remember much of the stories told in this book and we just read it. One story involved Jenny being too shy to introduce herself to the Cat Club and after a failed attempt or two her master gives her some ice skates and then because she becomes really good at ice skating, she is invited to become a member of the cat club. One more affecting story involves her delight at getting her master to adopt two strays but then, realizing that despite loving them very much, she does not really want them to become members of the Cat Club. She finally corrects herself and tells them about the Club and manages to find ways for them to join, but I thought the story nicely illustrated the complex, personal feelings we can have to those we love and our need for personal space. The stories are rich with interesting characters, such as Pickles the Firefighter's cat, Butterfly (a beautiful, fluffy cat), and the twins Remus and Romulus.
Future Recommendations:
The kids loved these short, easily read and digested stories and we are getting the next book, The School for Cats from the library.
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