Clare

In Praise of

Clare Turlay Newberry

Playful Kitten

This page is dedicated to the work of Clare Turlay Newberry. As a child, I fell in love with Ms. Newberry's works. I have carried her drawings and books with me for over 40 years and would really like to share them with you. I could find no other links online that actually previewed the drawings, so this page is rather photo intensive...be patient! And I encourage you to read her books - whether you are a child or a child at heart, you will love them.

Please Note:

Ms. Newberry's works exhibited on this site are used with the full permission of Ms. Newberry's daughter, Felicia. In my communication with Felicia, she indicated that she appreciates this web page sharing the works of her mother and simply asks that the artwork not be downloaded. She asks that visitors to this site please respect the copyrights of her mother's artwork. Please honor her request. Thank you...Bari DuBois.

Biographical Sketch

Clare Turlay Newberry was born on April 10, 1903 in Enterprise, Oregon. She studied art at the University of Oregon, School of the Portland Art Museum, the California School of Fine Arts, and La Grand Chaumiere in Paris, France. Her drawings are based on personal experiences, her family, friends, and pets. She is most noted for her drawings of cats and kittens. Using her friends' cats as models, she would study them and sketch them using various mediums including pencil, crayons, charcoal, and pastels. Her first self-illustrated book, Herbert the Lion (1931) is still in print. Four of Newberry's book were runners-up for the Caldecott Medal. Ms. Newberry died on February 12,1970. (USM de Grummond Collection)

For additional information about Ms. Newberry, Click HERE

My favorite book and favorite cat was PANDORA published by Harper & Brothers in 1944. I recently fulfilled one of my life's dreams - I purchased a first edition of PANDORA (cover represented below). Just look at those fabulous eyes...

Ball of Fur

Sunny-Land Pandora

Malo

Chirn Sa-Hai Ma'Aruf

Chirn Sa-Hai Grizel

Champion Sunny-Land Sancho

Lilipuss and Kittens

Sheba and her three kittens, Butch, Brenda and Charcoal
from the book, April's Kittens

Butch

Brenda

Charcoal

Champion Sunny-Land Char-Miri

Oliver and Marshmallow

And from the book, MARSHMALLOW...

A POEM IN PRAISE OF RABBITS

A bunny is a quiet pet,
A bunny is the best thing yet,
A bunny never makes a sound,
A bunny's nice to have around.

Puppies whimper, bark and growl;
Kittens mew and tom cats yowl;
Birdies twitter, chirp, and tweet;
Moo-cows moo, and lambkins bleat;

Some creatures bellow, others bray;
Some hoot, or honk, or yap, or neigh;
Most creatures make annoying noises,
Even little girls and boyses.

A bunny, though, is never heard,
He simply never says a word;
A bunny's a delightful habit,
No home's complete without a rabbit.

Saroyan

Kittens

Mittens

Pudge

Peter

Widget

Tabby Kitten

Ms. Newberry's books include:

HERBERT THE LION, Harper 1931 - "Must not be overlooked by any collector of children's books, old or young." New York Herald Tribune

MITTENS, Harper 1936 - "The very best cat pictures that have ever been made." New York Times

BABETTE, Harper, 1937 - About a Siamese kitten. "The appealing qualities of her breed have been portrayed with the best possible results in this lovely picture book." New York Times

BARKIS, Harper, 1938 - About a cocker spaniel puppy (there's a kitten in it too!). "Will go straight to the hearts of dog-lovers of all ages." New York Times

COUSIN TOBY, Harper, 1939

APRIL'S KITTENS, Harper, 1940 - "Even better than Mittens, this picture-book is a prize." New York Herald Tribune

DRAWING A CAT, Harper 1940 - In this book, Ms. Newberry explains her methods and illustrates her sketches in infinite variety which discloses to the reader the secret of her success in capturing the very spirit and nature of her subject, and the variety of its poses.

LAMBERT'S BARGAIN, Harper, 1941 - About a laughing hyena. "Frankly hilarious...not too deep for a small person but quite gay enough for any one." New York Herald Tribune spirit and nature of her subject, and the variety of its poses.

MARSHMALLOW, Harper, 1942 "A delightful combination of beauty, understanding of children and animals, and droll humor...No one with a love for animals or an eye for drawings will be able to resist Mrs. Newberry's fascinating pictures...All her books are delightful, but the drawings in Marshmallow are the finest and strongest she has done." New York Times

CATS, A PORTFOLIO, Harper, 1943 - 16 drawings of cats suitable for framing.

PANDORA, Harper, 1944 - Pandora is the special feline companion of a little yellow-haired boy named Peter, who fears the worst one morning when Pandora cannot be found. Pandora is a Persian cat, the first in Mrs. Newberry's long and deservedly popular succession of cats. She is the subject of the artist's twelve beautiful pastel drawings and many pen and ink sketches

WHAT'S THAT?, Harper, 1946

THE KITTENS' ABC, Harper, 1946 and 1965 - An alphabet book celebrating the special appeal of kittens and cats.

SMUDGE, Harper, 1948 - Mama and Papa cats, Muff and Buster, have just added three new kittens to their family--a red one, a multicolored one, and a brave black one named Smudge.

T-BONE, THE BABY-SITTER, Harper, 1950 - All's well with the cat as a babysitter until one morning the cat wakes up feeling wild, pouncy and full of mischief.

PERCY, POLLY AND PETE, Harper, 1952 - "Good for reading aloud and showing to the youngest and for their elders of all ages." Library Journal (Note, Ms. Newberry dedicated this book to her daughter, Felicia Noelle Trujillo, who calls herself "Sasha")

ICE CREAM FOR TWO, Harper, 1953 - A story of a young boy (based on Ms. Newberry's son, Stephen) who really wants a pet. He eventually does get a Siamese kitten named Pounce!

CATS & KITTENS, A PORTFOLIO, Harper, 1956 - 16 prints of favorite Newberry cats suitable for framing.

WIDGET, Harper, 1958 - a small kitten and what happens when she gets out of her box.

FROSTY, Harper, 1961 - Story of an Alaskan Malamute - story and pictures by Clare Turlay Newberry.

Note: You may also enjoy visiting the page that Clare's daughter, Felicia, is developing (under construction now) dedicated to her mother and her works - http://www.backrescue.com/newberrycats/

Webmistress - Bari DuBois

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