The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends) (Hardcover)

by George Selden (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator) "A mouse was looking at Mario..." (more)
Key Phrases: Tucker Mouse, Sai Fong, Harry Cat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
One night, the sounds of New York City--the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices--is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Attracted by the irresistible smell of liverwurst, Chester had foolishly jumped into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting New Yorkers on a junket to the country. Despite the insect's wurst intentions, he ends up in a pile of dirt in Times Square.

Mario is elated to find Chester. He begs his parents to let him keep the shiny insect in the newsstand, assuring his bug-fearing mother that crickets are harmless, maybe even good luck. What ensues is an altogether captivating spin on the city mouse/country mouse story, as Chester adjusts to the bustle of the big city. Despite the cricket's comfortable matchbox bed (with Kleenex sheets); the fancy, seven-tiered pagoda cricket cage from Sai Fong's novelty shop; tasty mulberry leaves; the jolly company of Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat; and even his new-found fame as "the most famous musician in New York City," Chester begins to miss his peaceful life in the Connecticut countryside. The Cricket in Times Square--a Newbery Award runner-up in 1961--is charmingly illustrated by the well-loved Garth Williams, and the tiniest details of this elegantly spun, vividly told, surprisingly suspenseful tale will stick with children for years and years. Make sure this classic sits on the shelf of your favorite child, right next to The Wind in the Willows. (Ages 9 to 12)

Review
"The story of a musical cricket and his friends, a mouse and a cat of real character, who took up their abode in a Times Square newsstand...Most appealing whimsy with beautiful illustrations by Garth Williams." --Starred, School Library Journal
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (January 1, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374316503
• ISBN-13: 978-0374316501
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #306,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bug and his buds, August 30, 2007

By	My Uncle Stu (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Cricket in Times Square (Paperback)

This is a fun book. It's a nice book to read a chapter at a time as a bedtime book, because nothing particularly stressful or traumatic happens. The chapters are reasonable short and benign. There is tension, there is some drama, there are rich characters struggling with their individual challenges. But there aren't many chapters ending on cliffhangers that will leave young readers or listeners feeling unsettled.

The strength of the book is the warm friendship between a displaced country cricket, a scheming but kind-hearted urban rodent, and an unflappable feline. There is also the human protagonist, Mario, a young boy who labors in Grand Central Station at his parent's newsstand. Mario's family dynamic, with the passive dad and the hard-boiled, derisive mother, sets up a nice juxtaposition. We see the sweet sap of childhood innocence standing its ground against a well-meaning but distrustful adult world.

I bought this book to read to my kids because I remember loving it so much as a little kid myself, both the book and the filmstrip adaptation, which I believe I can picture myself watching in an overcrowded mobile home that was functioning as a second grade classroom.

There's one distressing flaw to the book, which I don't remember from my own childhood because I wouldn't have noticed or cared at the time, but there is a part of the book that takes place in China Town, where it feels as if the story gets a dose of 1950's borcht belt race humor. The wise old Chinese man's dialect is achieved by switching every `R' into an `L.' As is "Vely solly." Since I was reading it to my kids, I just improvised a little and avoided doing the accent, but if an older kid is reading the book for themselves it merits a discussion. A little social-historical context.

That aside, we had a great time reading this book. The part I am asked to reread is when Chester Cricket, while dreaming that he is home eating leaves, waked up and realizes he's half-chewed through a two dollar bill borrowed from the newsstand register. There's brief panic and then excited brain-storming with his mammalian accomplices. As always, some credit goes to my unsubtle vocal performance, and I'm sorry, you can't buy that at Amazon. But it is funny stuff.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cricket in Times Square is an outstanding book!, March 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cricket in Times Square (Paperback)

This book is about a cricket named Chester who finds his way to New York City in a picnic basket. Chester is originally from Connecticut. One day a little boy named Mario picks him up and takes him to an unsuccessful newstand located in the subway station of Times Square. This little creature is lucky enough to find two great friends. Their names are Tucker the fast talking broadway mouse, and his pal Harry the Cat. These friends have many great times such as; when Tucker manages to get the gang some scraps of food. But they also have some bad times, like when Chester dreams of a willow leaf, and eats a dollar bill, but all together they manage. These wonderful pals go on some more pretty great adventures, Chester even becomes a celebrity. Read the book to find out more!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to read aloud, June 25, 2005

By	D. Rouse (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cricket in Times Square (Paperback)

This was a big hit with our three-and-a-half year old. It was the second chapter book I read aloud to him, and perfect for his age. As other reviewers have noted, the tense scenes are minimal, all the characters are appealing (although there is a bit of ethnic stereotyping), and the themes of friendship and loyalty are positive.