Reviews

Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill

idgey's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

pussreboots's review against another edition

5.0

The first Esther Averill book I read was The Hotel Cat. What I didn't realize at the time is that most of the other books are significantly shorter, being picture books instead of a middle grade novel. Working on the assumption that the other books were just as long I didn't think to look anywhere else in the children's library. It took my daughter looking for any picture book featuring a cat to find the others. The book she picked was Jenny's Birthday Book.

Jenny's an adorable black cat who likes to wear a red scarf. Jenny's Birthday Book explains how she gets it. She's invited out to celebrate her birthday with Checkers and Edward. They take her to a party in the park with all the other cats.

Harriet and I love Averill's bold use of color and her cute loosely drawn cats. Harriet spent a lot of time looking at all the different cats and describing them to me. She especially likes Jenny's "beautiful scarf."

Averill's Cat Club books are thankfully back in print. I recommend them to anyone who is a cat lover or a parent of a cat lover.

kellyholmes's review against another edition

2.0

Cute story and illustrations, but completely devoid of any conflict or a problem for the main character to solve.

confettispaghetti's review against another edition

5.0

My favorite childhood book