''The Drugstore Cat'' is a 1949 children's book written by

Ann Petry Ann Petry (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) was an American writer of novels, short stories, children's books and journalism. Her 1946 debut novel ''The Street'' became the first novel by an African-American woman to sell more than a milli ...

and illustrated by

Susanne Suba Susanne Suba (1913–2012) was a Hungarian-born watercolorist and illustrator, active in the United States. Early life Suba was born ''Zsuzsanna Suba'' in Budapest, Hungary, on December 13, 1913, to May Edwards Suba, a pianist of Brooklyn, N ...

. In nine chapters, it tells the story of Buzzie, a Manx kitten and his struggle to learn patience and self restraint. It is aimed at readers aged six to nine.

Synopsis

The protagonist of the story is Buzzie, a chubby gray kitten with a short tail. Buzzie, named for his loud purring, is taken from the barn where he was born to live in a drugstore with brother-and-sister pharmacists, the Jameses. The kitten is sensitive about his short tail and frustrated that the humans can't understand his purring language. Fortunately, Buzzie encounters two humans with whom he can communicate: young Peter and elderly Mr. Smith. Buzzie gets into a series of predicaments, including an injury to his paw which requires a bandage. At one point, his short temper leads him to scratch a customer at the drugstore, an offense for which he is nearly sent back to the barn. Buzzie resolves to develop a "lengthier temper", and eventually redeems himself by saving the store from burglars.

Publication

By 1949 Petry was already an established writer of adult fiction, but ''The Drugstore Cat'', which was published the same year she became a mother, was her first attempt at children's literature. Unlike her previous books, the story doesn't explicitly discuss race and racism, but according to the Schomburg Center it did help to "jumpstart the tradition fBlack-authored children's and young-adult books." The story was also unique for its contemporary setting; her three subsequent children's books would all be historical. There is an autobiographical aspect to the story. Petry's father was the first African American to pass the Connecticut pharmaceutical exam, and her aunt was one of the first African American women to pass the exam. Petry herself completed a pharmacy degree and worked in the family drugstore for some time. In 1988, ''The Drugstore Cat'' was reissued by

Beacon Press Beacon Press is an American left-wing non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is known for publishing authors such as James B ...

, under its Night Lights imprint.

Reception

On its release, the book was described by the '' New York Times'' as "endearing" and the '' Chicago Tribune'' called it "irresistible" and a "little gem". ''

The Gazette and Daily The ''York Daily Record'' is a newspaper and news publisher serving York, Pennsylvania, United States, and the surrounding region. Its news publications are the ''York Daily Record'' and ''York Sunday News''. The newspaper's circulation is 37,32 ...

'' praised the simple line drawn illustrations as "resembl ngthose which a child would draw", but noted the illustrator's inconsistent portrayal of Buzzie's bandaged paw. More recently, Althea Tait observed that her invention of phrases like a "lengthier temper" demonstrated "Petry's linguistic understanding of how the minds of children work."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drugstore Cat, The 1949 children's books American children's books Children's novels about cats Novels by Ann Petry