books by Esther Averill

We have found a couple of new-to-us chapter books to enjoy together: Esther Averill's Jenny and the Cat Club, about a petite black cat named Jenny Linsky who wears a red scarf around her neck (usually), lives with a retired sea captain in New York City, and counts herself among a charming group of felines (who call themselves The Cat Club) that meets in the Captain's yard.  The Hotel Cat follows Jenny and friends after moving with the Captain to a hotel.

From planning the Annual Spring Picnic to outwitting the motley band of neighborhood dogs that vex the cats ceaselessly, Jenny and her friends are endearing and clever, even to those who are not cat aficionados.

One of Jenny's friends is Pickles the Fire Cat.  Our family first met Pickles a couple years ago when we received The Fire Cat, also by Esther Averill, for my elder lad's third birthday from one of my beloved's brothers.  Pickles sports big paws and seems destined for greatness, according to Mrs. Goodkind, who lives in a comfortable house next to the empty lot Pickles occupies.  She welcomes Pickles into her house, but he has too much a sense of adventure to be content indoors all the time.  Trouble is, he has difficulty channeling his energy into productive purposes and finds himself tormenting smaller cats.  Until, that is, Mrs. Goodkind hooks him up with a firefighter at the local fire station, who challenges Pickles to make something of himself...

Call them "vintage" if you will; these books by Esther Averill certainly do have a timeless quality about them.