Story about family of 7 kittens-adored in my childhood in late 50’s-early 60’s. Picture book size as I remember, dark blue (?) paper covers. Kittens wear different dresses/accessories each day of week. Mon do wash, Tues clean house… Kittens are different colors: either white or gray or black, etc.
Were they photographs of real kittens wearing clothes? If so, you might try the books of Harry Whittier Frees. The books were first printed in black and white, but Rand McNally later re-released hand-tinted editions in color. I don’t see any with 7 kittens, but you might take a look at “Four Little Kittens,” “More About the Four Little Kittens,” “Whiskers,” “Snuggles,” or “The Little Kittens’ Nursery Rhymes.”
Hi Chanda,
Thank you so much for your comments.
But no, this books kittens were drawn rather than photographed.
In fact, I remember that the drawings were especially beautiful, detailed and very colorful. The kittens’ various outfits stand out so clearly in my memory. Along with their fancy Sunday dresses for example, I believe they also carried parasols! In their cleaning day outfits I remember them wearing jeans-like overalls with their little heads covered in kerchiefs, similar to the way women dressed in the 1950’s. 🙂
One more additional detail, it may be there weren’t actually seven kittens, although there were several. The number seven may be in my mind only because of the fact that the story depicted the kittens doing specific activities on each of the seven days of the week.
Thanks again for your help.
Oh, I’m sure I’ve seen those pictures! The cleaning day one in particular sounds so familiar. I’ll have to go back through and look again. One note – there were several photographers besides Harry Whittier Frees who did similar photographs for books. A lot of the pictures were originally taken in black and white, then later hand-tinted. When the colors were painted in, it made many of them look more like very well-detailed paintings or pictures, rather than photographs.
I still can’t find that picture with the cats/kittens in dungarees and kerchiefs, but I know I’ve seen it somewhere!
Meanwhile, though, I did find a book (or actually books) about seven kittens. Rand McNally published a book called The Seven Wonderful Cats. This was released in both the Giant Book and Elf Book formats. The story is retold by Wallace Wadsworth and illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe. The kittens in the pictures do wear clothes, but don’t look at all like what I’m picturing, based on your descriptions – but I could be picturing it all wrong, so it still might be worth a look. There are at least three different cover designs for the Rand McNally books.
If it isn’t the Rand McNally book, the story is actually based on a much older book (1823) called Dame Wiggins of Lee and her Seven Wonderful Cats by a Mrs. Pearson, edited by John Ruskin. Dame Wiggins kept seven wonderful cats around to keep her home free of rats and mice, but when there were no more rats or mice, the cats grew bored so she sent them off to school. With the cats away, Dame Wiggins was lonely, so she sent for them to return. The cats helped her out in many ways, including mending her carpet and tending to a sick lamb. They also went ice skating, rowed boats, and rode sheep. The story is told in verse and has been reprinted many times over the past nearly 200 years, both as a stand-along book and as part of an anthology (such as My Bookhouse). There are many versions of it with different illustrators, including Kate Greenaway, Patience Brewster, Maria Kirk, and Robert Broomfield, though it appears that most of these illustrator opted to show the cats without clothes. Still, if the plot sounds at all familiar, you might be looking for some version of this book.
Hi Chanda,
Thanks so much for all your searching and suggestions!
The book I’m remembering isn’t the one by Rand McNally or Dame Wiggins. But I must say that my heart did a little flip when I looked at “The Seven Wonderful Cats” … I had that book too as a child and really enjoyed it … the scene of them ice skating together was one of my favorites, boy did that take me down memory lane. 🙂
Another detail I can add, after checking out “The Seven Wonderful Cats”, is that in the book I’m thinking about the cats are what I would describe as “older” looking … and their clothes are fairly detailed. For example, the dresses had long bows and sashes in the back. There’s a chance that maybe all the cats were females?? More and more little tidbits about my book are surfacing the more we compare notes. Sooner or later we will find it!
Thanks so much for helping me with my search, I appreciate it more than I can say.
http://img0.etsystatic.com/016/0/5840081/il_170x135.461427758_2yri.jpg
(Here’s a link to what I think is a picture from my book!)
Oh my goodness, I think I might have found it!!
I just now googled “vintage children’s books” and in scrolling through the images I found two pictures right next to each other that stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away!
I’m almost positive they are pages from the book, one by Ruth Newton! 🙂
The pages displayed were only single prints of the pictures, available for purchase on etsy.com, but there was no link to the book itself.
So I don’t yet know the name of the book, but man it looks like we’re getting close!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully this link will lead you to what I saw and no doubt with all your knowledge and expertise, you’ll be able to help me find the title, not to mention the book as well!
http://img0.etsystatic.com/010/0/5840081/il_170x135.461428354_26vw.jpg
… and here’s the link for the second page!
Thanks in advance!
… one more thing, I think it may have been one of her larger linen-like books.
Well, it’s not at all the picture I was visualizing – but having a name really makes a difference!
Here’s one called “Baby Kittens” https://www.pinterest.com/pin/92394229828637775/
and another picture from that one: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315111305147906994/
If there might have been puppies as well, you could also try “Pussy Cats and Puppy Dogs” http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mRhERJn4nvVTWbKbY7EpMSA.jpg
or “Puppies and Kittens” http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mlskp1DWVmJAOJ6tBK5H9Dw.jpg
The more I look, the less certain I am that it’s one of Ruth Newton’s – or at least, not from the books I’ve previously mentioned – though the style is definitely similar. The pictures of her books that I’m finding online mostly show kittens of matching colors, and generally more realistically shaded – greys and browns for their stripes. The pink kitten in those pictures you found is pretty distinctive, and I can’t find anything similar in Newton’s books – at least not yet. Also, the style of dress seems just a bit different – especially the long skirts and aprons for the little girl kittens. Most of Newton’s kittens are wearing very short dresses.
I did find one more picture that matches the ones you found: http://img0.etsystatic.com/016/0/5840081/il_170x135.461429438_itg7.jpg
Sadly, it is also just an isolated image. From the picture itself, I’m guessing it’s the same seller as the pictures you found – and probably the same book. The description says “Vintage Ruth Newton Childrens Nursery Rhyme Book Print – Sleep Bedtime…” on the Google image search page – but when I click “visit page” it brings me into a general etsy search for “kitten book” with 1,765 items. I don’t have time to go through all 1700+ to find the one image, and when I try narrowing the search, I can’t find that one. It could be that the items have sold and that’s why I can only find the images on Google and not on etsy.
And a few more:
http://img0.etsystatic.com/015/0/5840081/il_170x135.461429708_fof1.jpg
http://img0.etsystatic.com/013/0/5840081/il_170x135.461427464_bnmc.jpg
http://img1.etsystatic.com/011/0/5840081/il_170x135.461432965_azsn.jpg
http://img0.etsystatic.com/014/0/5840081/il_170x135.461429930_kpp1.jpg
All of the images have the same id on them: 5840081. I’m guessing this is the seller id? From the looks of things, the seller is piecing out the entire book – or possibly selling digital scans of images from the book. If you can track down the seller on etsy, he or she may be able to tell you what the book was called.
I haven’t been able to find the seller – when I try connecting to the page instead of the image, I either get a generic etsy search or this image: http://www.etsy.com/listing/126955559/1941-nursery-rhyme-digital-scan-peas?ref=shop_home_active&ga_search_query=kitten
Perhaps TheIDConnection was the seller for those pages, but he has sold them, so they no longer appear in his listings? It might be worth a shot to email him and ask about them.
This is so frustrating, seeing the exact pictures and not being able to find where they came from! It must be even worse for you.
Not the book you’re looking for, but here’s an absolutely adorable “Seven Wonderful Cats” illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe that has the kittens wearing clothes: http://verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweet-vintage-kitten-images-share-love.html
Oh, never mind… Guess I already mentioned that one before. (I’ve looked at so many antique cat and kitten books, I’ve started to lose track!)
I FOUND IT!!!!
It’s “Five Little Pussy Cats” by May Purnell, with pictures by Dorothy Purnell (1940) from Whitman Publishing:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/143059725635991789/
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Little-Pussy-Cats-Purnell/dp/B000RG8C3Y
Different cover for the 1942 version: http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/azpaperlady/pussycats.1L.jpg?32
http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/azpaperlady/pussycats.5L.jpg?44
http://image0-rubylane.s3.amazonaws.com/shops/azpaperlady/pussycats.6L.jpg?44
Oh Chanda! Oh my goodness, I’m so thankful to you!
You should have heard me just now when I called out to my husband, “She found it! She found my book!” He came running down the hall to see a picture of it and then gave me the biggest hug. 😀 We are both so grateful to you!!!!!
I’ve been missing that dear little book for just about six years now but never knew how to go about finding another copy of it until I discovered Loganberry!
I first realized my beloved childhood book was missing after we helped my mom move to an assisted living home and then began sorting through her household things as we prepared to sell her home.
That book had always been in a certain place on a certain shelf on her bookcases, but somehow it was no longer there. No doubt my mom had done some sorting herself and had discarded it, not realizing or remembering my attachment to it.
I cannot express with words the gratitude I feel from the depths of my heart to you for applying your knowledge, expertise, perseverance and time in searching for and finding my book for me!!! You have made it possible for me to have one of the best Christmas presents of all times!!
May you be richly blessed for having so wonderfully blessed me!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad I was able to help you find the right book. But I never could have done it if you hadn’t found those first two pictures!
And thank you for taking the time to let me know that it was the one you’d been looking for. I have to confess, I am just a little bit addicted to online book stumper sites like this one. It’s fun to try to unravel the mysteries and piece together the clues to find the book someone has been searching for, and it’s especially rewarding when I know that I’ve been able to help put a copy of a special book in the hands of someone who treasures it. Your response really made my day!
Enjoy your book!
Hi again Chanda,
I still cannot believe how you were able to search it out!
After all the holiday fun and festivities dies down and you have a minute, I’d love to hear how you actually were able to find it after all the dead ends we each ran into with those two isolated prints. Until then wishing you a most wonderful Christmas and the happiest of Holidays. 🙂