Jenny's Birthday Book

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Summary: The Bohemian New York Cat
Review: Any shy child will receive a tremendous boost from the JennyLinsky books, particularly this book about her birthday. Jenny is agentle New York cat who, in this book, gets swept up by her more rambunctious friends for a moonlight feast and dance in Central Park, in honor of her birthday. There is a delightful Bohemian flavor to this crew of felines: one wears an American Indian headband and feather for no apparent reason. Male cats dance with male cats. And there's something slightly transgressive and empowering about the way they take over the park at night. The text and illustrations are simple, ideal for ages 3 to 8. Jenny is picked up for the birthday by her friend, Pickles the Firecat, in a firetruck. They pick up other cat friends, a bluefish wrapped like a gift, and gather in the park where they all dance the hornpipe. Then they go home, tired and happy, and sing to Jenny Linsky as she gets into bed. That's the whole plot. Yet this book has the slightly mysterious quality that raises a children's book above the mundane and makes it resonate with a child's inner world. It will stay with your child for life. This was a pivotal book in my childhood. My mother painted a mural of Jenny Linsky and her cat friends riding their firetruck on the wall of our basement. I cannot for the life of me understand why it (and the other Jenny Linsky books) is out of print.