The Lost Kitty

by Madeline Leslie, Aunt Hattie

Harriette Newell (nee) Woods Baker (1815-1893) was a prolific American author of books for children. Harriette Newell Woods was born in Andover, Massachusetts. She began writing at an early age and had her first story published at age 10. Baker attended Abbot Female Seminary. She married Abijah Richardson Baker in 1835. Baker's first books were published in 1860 under the pseudonym Mrs. Madeline Leslie. It is believed that she went on to write anonymously or pseudonomously over 200 books. One of her other common pseudonym was Aunt Hattie. Many of her books had a religious or moral theme and her style was considered very true to life, with well drawn characters. She died in New York in 1893. Her works include: Cora and the Doctor (1855), The First and the Second Marriages (1856), The Household Angel in Disguise (1857), The Two Homes; or, Earning and Spending (1862), The Lost Kitty (1867), Bertie's Home; or, The Way to be Happy (1868), Juliette; or, Now and Forever (1869), Behind the Curtain; or, Leelinau (1869), The Breach of Trust (1869) and Art and Artlessness (1875).

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1868

About the author

Mrs. Madeline Leslie was one of the pseudonyms of the American author and editor Harriette Newell Woods Baker, who also wrote under the pen name Aunt Hattie.

Reviews

[Perry Whitford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written in 1867 and clearly intended for pre-adolescent children, I only gave this a quick read because I was hoping (not unreasonably given the title) for a cute story about a lost kitty.

I love cats, so such a story can hardly fail with me.

But I was gipped. Sure, a lost kitty turns up at the house of a young boy and his sister at the start, but this incident is merely used to springboard into a series of dull Christian lessons about being grateful to God and anyone who does you a good turn.

A commendable lesson, but none of the tales told to illustrate it show the slightest spark of imagination.

Also, the boy's mother taught her son to be thankful by pointing out people worse off than him - a crippled child, a school friend with a drunk father etc.

That's the lowest kind of Christian message.