Anna, her older sister Sophie and her younger sister Trudie have at least two things in common: their love of dolls and cats. One day, the girls spy an orange cat whom they christen Ginger Cat. Later on, they notice that the cat is very large, and they wonder what is going on until they see her in a fire escape with several smaller furry companions. They are delighted that Ginger has kittens; then, they see an angry man brush the cats off of the fire escape! Unfortunately, most of the kittens die, except for Ginger cat and a male orange kitten who broke his leg during the fall.

Anna's cousin Tania comes to the United States from Russia, and she loves cats. She is less enthusiastic about dolls, but she cannot get enough of Ginger Cat and Plucky, the kitten who survived. She feeds and loves them, and they show a clear preference for her. Tania even made a stuffed cat doll for Shannon that is the spitting image of Plucky!

The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona McDonough, 2011

My friend's cat is named Ginger, and I cared for her and her kittens in the spring of 2013, all orange striped tabbies. They were so charming, and I still get to see and care for Ginger.

• Books about cats
• Books about dolls
• Books about immigration
• Books about Judaism
• Yona McDonough's web site