Esther Averill
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Esther Averill (July 24, 1902 – May 19, 1992) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
writer and illustrator best known for the Cat Club picture books, a collection of 13 stories featuring Jenny Linsky, a small black cat who always wears a red scarf. She was also an
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
and
publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
.


Life

Averill was born in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
on July 24, 1902, daughter of Charles Ketchum and Helen (Holden) Averill, where she was a teenage cartoonist for a local newspaper. After graduating from
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
with honors in 1923, she joined the editorial staff of ''
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''. In 1925 she moved to
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to work as a photojournalist's assistant. In 1931, Averill founded the Domino Press, which specialized in "children's picture books illustrated by gifted young artists and reproduced by means of the excellent color processes that were available". Domino's first publication was a book entitled ''Daniel Boone : les adventures d'un chasseur americain parmi les peaux-rogues'', illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (who later won a U.S.
Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
for picture book illustration). Averill worked on an English edition of the same title also released in 1931. Domino published several other children's books before it ceased operations in 1938. Averill returned to the
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in 1941, continuing with Domino press until it ceased operations and then working in the children's department at the
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...
. In 1944, she wrote and illustrated ''The Cat Club'', the first in a series of stories about a cat, Jenny Linsky, who lived in New York City with her master, the benevolent Captain Tinker. Between 1944 and 1972, Averill wrote and illustrated a dozen more stories about Jenny Linsky and her cat friends, all of whom were based on cats Averill owned or knew. The cat club books proved to be Averill's most popular works, and were eventually translated into six languages. Starting in 2003,Schwarz, Christina. ''Atlantic Monthly'' (10727825). Dec. 2003, Vol. 292 Issue 5, pp. 131-132. a series of reissues by the New York Review Children's Collection brought all the Cat Club titles except for ''Jenny's Bedside Book'' back into print. Averill died in New York City on May 19, 1992.


Cat Club series

* ''The Cat Club'', 1944 * ''The School for Cats'', 1947 * ''Jenny's First Party'', 1948 * ''Jenny's Moonlight Adventure'', 1949 * ''When Jenny Lost Her Scarf'', 1951 * ''Jenny's Adopted Brothers'', 1952 * ''How the Brothers Joined the Cat Club'', 1953 * ''Jenny's Birthday Book'', 1954 * ''Jenny Goes to Sea'', 1957 * ''Jenny's Bedside Book'', 1959 * ''The Fire Cat'', 1960 * ''The Hotel Cat'', 1969 * ''Captains of the City Streets'', 1972


Other works

* ''Daniel Boone'', 1931 (with Lila Stanley; illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''Powder: The Story of a Colt, a Duchess, and the Circus'', 1933 (with Lila Stanley; illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''Fable of a Proud Poppy'', 1934 (as John Domino; illustrated by Emile Lahner) * ''Flash: The Story of a Horse, a Coach-Dog, and the Gypsies'', 1934 (illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''Political Propaganda in Children's Books of the French Revolution'', 1935 * ''The Voyages of Jacques Cartier'', 1937 (illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''The Adventures of Jack Ninepins'', 1944 * ''Daniel Boone'', 1945 (new text for the 1931 title, same illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''King Philip: The Indian Chief'', 1950 (illustrated by Vera Belsky) * ''Cartier Sails the St. Lawrence'', 1956 (new text of the 1937 title, same illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky) * ''Eyes on the World: The Story and Work of Jacques Callot'', 1969


See also

*
The New York Review Children's Collection The New York Review Books Children's Collection (currently published under the label NYRB Kids) is a series of children's books released under the publishing imprint New York Review Books. The series was founded in 2003 to reintroduce some of the m ...


References


Citations


Other sources

* ''Something About the Author'', Volume 28 (1982), pp. 39–43
Esther Averill Collection
Children's Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota
Esther Averill Papers
Special Collections at The University of Southern Mississippi (de Grummond Children's Literature Collection) {{DEFAULTSORT:Averill, Esther 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American women writers American book publishers (people) American children's book illustrators American children's writers American women children's writers American women children's book illustrators Vassar College alumni Women book publishers (people) Writers from Bridgeport, Connecticut