Jenny Linsky, the shy little black cat of Greenwich Village, has never been to school. Until, that is, the day her master, Captain Tinker, decides it's time for her to study cat lore in the country. The School for Cats seems like a scary place at first, full of strangers who know how to do all sorts of clever things that Jenny doesn't understand. Worse still, Pickles, the Fire Cat, famous for chasing all the littler cats around with his fire truck, is a student there! He frightens Jenny so much that one day she runs away.

But she doesn't stay away for long. After an adventure in the forest that helps her feel braver, Jenny realizes she's ready to face school and Pickles's teasing. Which is how Jenny learns a lesson in courage and Pickles in consideration, and the two become friends for life.

From the New York Review Children's Collection reprint