What record does Holden buy for his sister Phoebe?

Holden buys the record “Little Shirley Beans” for his younger sister, Phoebe. He searches for it in New York after leaving the Edmont Hotel and plans to give it to her as a surprise.

The record is a fictional children’s blues song performed by a fictional singer, Estelle Fletcher. Holden likes it because it is playful and unusual, but he also notices that the record has a slightly risqué quality. That combination reflects his mixed feelings about childhood: he wants Phoebe to remain innocent, yet he is fascinated by the adult world he is entering.

The purchase is one of several moments showing Holden’s affection for Phoebe. He is often sarcastic and alienated, but he spends money and emotional energy on her. The record is later damaged when Holden drops it, making the gift another example of his difficulty preserving the innocence he wants to protect.

Readers sometimes confuse the title with the novel’s famous “catcher in the rye” fantasy. That phrase comes from a misremembered version of Robert Burns’s song, not from the record Holden buys.