The Catnip Man

by Ruth Langland Holberg, Lisl Weil (Illustrator)

When the Catnip Man's house is torn down, he is not only given a new house by the town, but is invited to Bob and Nancy's house to dinner. A light-hearted, sympathetic story of playtime and project time centered around an endearing character, who could be a special friend of children everywhere. The illustrations by Lial Weil are unusually appealing and lively.

114 pages, hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with this book on my shelves, made more special by the fact that the author, illustrator and the actual catnip man (yes, he was real!) had all signed and inscribed the book. It is a sweet story, set in a real town-- a story that was also true, though definitely romantically fictionalized for children. A slice of a world now past.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, written in 1951, takes place in a village on the New England coast. A girl and her twin brother befriend an old man who makes his living by selling catnip, and try to help when his house is to be torn down to build a factory. I didn't really understand the villagers' dislike of the catnip man. They all called him "useless," but what's wrong with trying to make your living selling catnip? The two children seem to be the only enlightened souls in the whole village. Fortunately, the villagers change their attitude by the end of the book. A very odd little story.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little story about a tramp of a man who lives in a self-built shack on borrowed land, who plucks wild catnip and sells it by the bundle for 5 cents in the streets.

Bob and Nancy Andrews, fair-haired twins and residents of Gloucester, Cape Ann (Massachusetts), concern themselves very much for the welfare of this marginalized man. Their teacher, parents, and neighbours refer to him as "that good-for-nothing man", "always poking around in people's fields, picking catnip". Because of their friendship with The Catnip Man, they are able to enlist him in a moment of need and improve his standing in the town. The crisis of the story is that The Catnip Man is about to be rendered homeless, as a glue factory is to be constructed on the property he squats upon. Will the hard-hearted community begin to care enough to help a fellow man in desperate need?

A nice little story, lots of East Coast USA foodstuffs - ginger molasses cookies ("cooky") with a fat raisin in the centre, brown sugar on bread as an after-school snack, fish chowder with crumbled up 'Pilot' crackers on the the top, boiled lobster, cheese and apple pie, scalloped potatoes, fried fish, and, regrettably, meatloaf (which is detestable and vile, but apparently some people like it. There's no accounting for taste...). ;)

I think if you live in Cape Ann, this short, early chapter book should be required reading. I saw in another user's review that it's apparently based upon a real person. And since there were more than one books on OpenLibrary entitled "The Catnip Man", I suspect it must be.

Read for free on OpenLibrary. If you can afford to support this non-profit, please do. Even The Catnip Man should have access to good reads. ;)

EDIT: It seems there was a real-life The Catnip Man in Gloucester. His name was William Albert Joseph Patrick Swayne Luscomb, allegedly. Read on the "Good Morning Gloucester" blog.
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[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this book today that my grandparents bought and read to me when I was a kid. Still touching.