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).
Books
Captains of the City Streets
Ready for any challenge, Sinbad and the Duke, the Captains of the City Streets, charm the Cat Club’s admirers with their free spirits and “nifty” street smarts, as they grow up and ultimately find friendship and a place where they belong.
The Hotel Cat
One wintry day a lonely stray cat wandered into the Royal Hotel. He chased mice so well that he was given the job of Hotel Cat.
Jenny’s Moonlight Adventure
It’s Halloween—a special night for black cats everywhere, especially Jenny .
The School For Cats
“Five to eight-year-olds who have their own problems of adjustment in school will rejoice in Jenny’s moral triumph.” —The New York Times
Jenny Goes To Sea
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.
Jenny’s Birthday Book
Today is the day, the day of days, the day of Jenny Linsky’s birthday!
Jenny and the Cat Club
In Greenwich Village an orphaned black cat lives happily with her master, a sea captain. Still, the gentle Jenny Linsky would like nothing more than to join the local Cat Club, whose members include Madame Butterfly, an elegant Persian, the high-stepping Macaroni, and stately, plump Mr. President.