The Cats in the Doll Shop (12 page)

Many years ago, my husband and I lived in an apartment on Second Avenue and Eighty-fourth Street in New York City. Our kitchen window faced a drab, dark yard of little interest to either of us. Although some of the neighboring apartments had terraces, no one actually used them. They became a kind of outdoor storage area for most of the tenants, and they were heaped with unwanted items: a lamp with no shade, an unused bicycle, a broken chair. But when a stray cat decided to have her kittens in the bottom drawer of an abandoned dresser, my husband and I suddenly grew very interested in the view out back.

We followed the doings of the new family of felines eagerly, but were horrified when the owner of the bureau—the true-life inspiration for the man with the mustache—swept the kittens from her terrace with a broom. One of the kittens, a little orange-colored male, broke his leg in the fall. We wanted to help him, but we had no access to the yard into which he had fallen. We set out food on our fire escape for his mother and siblings, who were able to come over and eat it. But the wounded kitten could not climb over the fence that separated our yards, nor could he clamber up the fire escape stairs like his mother and sister. We worried about what would become of him.

We watched, first with sorrow, but soon with growing awe and pride, how the broken limb eventually dropped off and the kitten learned to navigate his world on his remaining three legs. He scrambled around in search of the food we tossed over the fence, and he grew into a spunky fellow who brought a special joy to our days.

The memory of that resilient little cat stayed with me for years, and I wrote about him in a brief children's tale that I shared with my superlative Viking editor, Joy Peskin. When Joy read it, she immediately thought of the doll shop family and suggested that I incorporate his hope-filled story into that of the Breittlemanns and their Russian cousin. It is my wish that the resulting book—
The Cats in the Doll Shop
—will give readers a strong sense of both the brave little cat that inspired it and the equally brave fictional girls who helped him along on his journey.

BUBBE—Yiddish term for Grandma.

 

CHALLAH—Traditional Jewish egg bread made in a braided loaf on Shabbas and in a round loaf on Rosh Hashanah.

 

CHANUKAH—The Jewish festival of lights, lasting eight days and eight nights.

 

DREIDEL—A four-sided wooden top with a Hebrew letter on each side. Dreidels are used in a game of chance during the festival of Chanukah.

 

EREV—Evening, in Yiddish; used to refer to the day before a holiday, or the evening of Shabbas.

 

GEFILTE FISH—Fish balls or patties made of carp or pike that are traditionally eaten on Shabbas or other holidays.

 

GELT—A Yiddish term for money.

 

KUGEL—A Jewish pudding made with potatoes or egg noodles.

 

LATKE—A fried patty of potato and onion, traditionally served at Chanukah.

 

MENORAH—The nine-branched candelabrum used on Chanukah.

 

ROSH HASHANAH—The Jewish New Year; it usually comes in September.

 

SHABBAS—The weekly Jewish day of rest, which begins at sundown on Friday. No work is done on that day.

 

TOCHTER—Yiddish for “daughter”; also used as a term of endearment.

 

TZEDAKAH—The Jewish concept of charity; giving to the needy and the poor.

 

TZIMMES—Atraditional Jewish dish made with carrots and raisins or prunes, often served on Rosh Hashanah.

 

YOM KIPPUR—The day of atonement in the Jewish calendar, which occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah. Traditionally, adults fast for the entire day, but children are not required to.

1820 – 1930—It is estimated that as many as 4.5 million Irish immigrants arrived in America during this period. Kathleen and Michael O'Leary came over as part of this mass emigration.

 

1870—Opening of F.A.O. Schwarz, the world famous toy store, at Broadway and Ninth Street in New York City. The store made several moves over the years, and had different homes including Fifth Avenue and Thirty-first Street, and Fifth Avenue and Fifty-eighth Street. The present store is located at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-ninth Street.

 

1885—The popcorn cart is invented. The new steam and gas poppers were easy to push through parks, fairs, carnivals and expositions, and as a result, popcorn became a popular snack.

 

1886—The Statue of Liberty is dedicated. The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States in recognition of the friendship between the two countries, a friendship that began during the American Revolution. Over the years, the statue has come to stand for freedom and democracy for all people.

 

1892—Opening of Ellis Island in New York. For millions of immigrants, this was the first stop in America. Like Anna's parents, many of these immigrants were from Russia. Other immigrants came from Poland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Ireland, and all over the world.

 

1904—The Tompkins Square branch of the New York Public Library opens at 331 East Tenth Street in New York City. The library still stands in the exact same location today.

 

1914—World War I breaks out in Europe.

 

1917—United States enters World War I; Russian Revolution breaks out.

 

1918—World War I ends; peace treaty signed by the Allies and Germany.