The Cricket in Times Square
- Downloads：6752
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-02 06:53:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：George Selden
- ISBN：0374390401
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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 Honor Book 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）
Reviews
Katherine
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My kids loved this audiobook， though I thought it was just "ok。" The audiobook narrator did a great job， though I personally struggled to keep the three animals straight。 My kids loved this audiobook， though I thought it was just "ok。" The audiobook narrator did a great job， though I personally struggled to keep the three animals straight。 。。。more
Laura
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L'histoire est chouette MAIS il y a beaucoup de préjugés racistes。。。 le livre date d'il y a 60 ans， mais ouch quand même。。。 L'histoire est chouette MAIS il y a beaucoup de préjugés racistes。。。 le livre date d'il y a 60 ans， mais ouch quand même。。。 。。。more
Rachel Tilly
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Enjoyable read aloud with my 6 and 3。5 yr olds。
Ana Castro
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When I Start reading this book I thought I probably wouldnt catch up feelings on the characters。 I thought a cricket ？ I don't know。。。 And I was a fool， because I end up loving Chester， Harry ando Tucker。 Such a lovable characters and a story that grows on You while You advance in lecture。 I would recommend it to all ages 🤭💗 it's lovely and fast to read ✨ When I Start reading this book I thought I probably wouldnt catch up feelings on the characters。 I thought a cricket ？ I don't know。。。 And I was a fool， because I end up loving Chester， Harry ando Tucker。 Such a lovable characters and a story that grows on You while You advance in lecture。 I would recommend it to all ages 🤭💗 it's lovely and fast to read ✨ 。。。more
Summer Kartchner Olsen
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I listened to the audio book in the car with my kids （ages 7， 10）。 They enjoyed it， and I thought it was a sweet story。
Angie
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James loved this book！ He thought it was really cool how the cricket could play music。
Dale Barlow
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another podcast recommendation for juvenile readers that my spouse heard on the radio the week of 07。04。2022; This one is a Newberry Honor Book; 07。13。2022: generally， I have strayed from reading JF books but this one was a treat featuring a cat， a mouse and a cricket plus a cast of real people; surprisingly suspenseful， fun read。 This book was originally published in 1960， so not exactly sure why it is making a come-back now; 1960 JF hardcover via Madison County Public Library， Richmond， 134 pg another podcast recommendation for juvenile readers that my spouse heard on the radio the week of 07。04。2022; This one is a Newberry Honor Book; 07。13。2022: generally， I have strayed from reading JF books but this one was a treat featuring a cat， a mouse and a cricket plus a cast of real people; surprisingly suspenseful， fun read。 This book was originally published in 1960， so not exactly sure why it is making a come-back now; 1960 JF hardcover via Madison County Public Library， Richmond， 134 pgs。 。。。more
Cindi
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Beyond the Bookends Reading ChallengeJuly - listen to a family friendly audiobook
Callie Stockman
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3。5 A very sweet story， although I felt like the author gave the Chester the Cricket a little too much understanding of the world around him。 Of course， it's a book about a cricket who is friends with a mouse and a cat so who am I to judge？ 3。5 A very sweet story， although I felt like the author gave the Chester the Cricket a little too much understanding of the world around him。 Of course， it's a book about a cricket who is friends with a mouse and a cat so who am I to judge？ 。。。more
Emily
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My 7yo and I really liked this （we'd already read and liked Harry Cat's Pet Puppy）， but know that it includes a very dated portrayal of Chinese immigrants。 The author writes the Chinese person's dialog in very stereotypical dialect， whereas the Italian immigrants in the story have dialog just like all the other characters。 Just be prepared to have a discussion and then edit as you go if you are reading with a child。 My 7yo and I really liked this （we'd already read and liked Harry Cat's Pet Puppy）， but know that it includes a very dated portrayal of Chinese immigrants。 The author writes the Chinese person's dialog in very stereotypical dialect， whereas the Italian immigrants in the story have dialog just like all the other characters。 Just be prepared to have a discussion and then edit as you go if you are reading with a child。 。。。more
Stacy
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I just finished reading this book to my fourth child and that was the third time I read this book！ I liked it more each time I read it。 This is a cute， sweet story about a boy who sells newspapers with his parents in Times Square at the subway station。 One day he finds a cricket and quickly wants to keep it for a pet。 His mother is very against this as she sees the cricket as inviting “bad” friends into their home or becoming a nuisance。 But she is soon talked into letting the cricket live at th I just finished reading this book to my fourth child and that was the third time I read this book！ I liked it more each time I read it。 This is a cute， sweet story about a boy who sells newspapers with his parents in Times Square at the subway station。 One day he finds a cricket and quickly wants to keep it for a pet。 His mother is very against this as she sees the cricket as inviting “bad” friends into their home or becoming a nuisance。 But she is soon talked into letting the cricket live at the newsstand。 Well， this cricket （named Chester） becomes friends with Harry the Cat who lives nearby and Tucker the Mouse who lives in a drainpipe next door。 These are the nicest friends to Chester but they all find themselves in a lot of adventure and some trouble。 I loved how clever the author turned the cricket’s normal “music” into real music and created a cricket who could use his “instrument” and create real music （by listening to music on the radio and playing it by ear） that humans recognize and enjoy。 This was brilliantly written。 My 8 year old son （whom I just read this to） does not love to sit and listen to stories but he did seem to enjoy and listen to this book！ Animal stories are so wonderful！ 。。。more
Julie
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I gave this a listen， I’m pretty sure I read it as a kid but thought it sounded interesting since I’m heading to NYC soon。 It was sweet， I loved the animal characters and their friendship and the setting was fun too。 Tony Shaloub’s narration was lovely。 The characterization of the humans made it a so-so， it was racially insensitive and kept mentioning Mama’s weight。 We get it， she is curvy！
Alyssa Miller
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Read as part of the Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Program （K-3）
Erin
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Sweet kids book
Ann
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A sweet story about a pet cricket in a big city。
Kaycee Owens
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Not our favorite audio book， but that might be because we have read / are reading so many amazing stories recently。 I don’t regret listening to it - it occupied the kids for our trip to Florida 🙌🏼
Megan Gaston
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What a sweet story！ Read aloud to Maddie。
Rachelle Smith
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This is another family favorite！
Megan Willome
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The Cricket in Times Square George SeldenAt some point every student will encounter Greek mythology。 If the classroom is their first exposure （as it was for me）， it will probably go poorly。 But when students stumble across these tales in other forms， they have the familiarity that breeds delight。 Middle-school students have Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series。 But younger kids can begin with a tale that has a Greek hero tucked into the voice of a tiny cricket: George Selden’s "The Cricket in Tim The Cricket in Times Square George SeldenAt some point every student will encounter Greek mythology。 If the classroom is their first exposure （as it was for me）， it will probably go poorly。 But when students stumble across these tales in other forms， they have the familiarity that breeds delight。 Middle-school students have Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series。 But younger kids can begin with a tale that has a Greek hero tucked into the voice of a tiny cricket: George Selden’s "The Cricket in Times Square。"It starts with a sound。 Not cars or trains or people or pigeons such as frequent Times Square in New York City。 Tucker， the mouse， had never heard a sound like this one。 A boy， Mario Bellini， hears it too but doesn’t know what it is。"If a leaf in a green forest far from New York had fallen at midnight through the darkness into a thicket， it might have sounded like that。”The sound is made by a cricket。 Mario keeps it for a pet and makes it a matchbox bed。 Tucker learns the cricket’s name is Chester。"He had a high musical voice。 Everything he said seemed to be spoken to an unheard melody。”Chester’s first true fan？ Harry the Cat， a friend of Tucker’s。 Soon Chester’s talents are discovered by Mario， his parents and Mr。 Smedley — a music teacher who notices Chester can play a perfect middle C。 Eventually Chester will share his music with 783 people who pass the Bellini family’s newsstand in Times Square。 And when he does， everything stops。"You wouldn’t think a cricket’s tiny chirp could carry so far， but when all is silence， the piercing notes can be heard for miles。"Traffic came to a standstill。 The buses， the cars， men and women walking—everything stopped。 And what was strangest of all， no one minded。 Just this once， in the very heart of the busiest of cities， everyone was perfectly content not to move and hardly to breathe。 And for those few minutes， while the song lasted， Times Square was as still as a meadow at evening， with the sun streaming in on the people there and the wind moving among them as if they were only tall blades of grass。”The chapter in which that passage occurs is titled “Orpheus。” As in the mythological musician and poet of the same name who traveled to the underworld to rescue his beloved Eurydice and failed to bring her back。I started reading The Cricket in Times Square in December， then put in an order through Interlibrary Loan。 The loan was delayed in the holiday rush， but the delay was fortuitous。 It gave me time to discover the Broadway musical Hadestown， based on the myth of Orpheus and Euridyce。 So when I finally read the cricket book and Mr。 Smedley called Mario’s cricket a “little black Orpheus，” I knew who he was talking about。"Who is Orpheus， Mr。 Smedley？” asked Mario。“Orpheus was the greatest musician who ever lived，” said the music teacher。 “Long， long ago， he played on a harp—and he played it so beautifully that not only human beings but animals and even the rocks and trees and waterfalls stopped their work to listen to him。”Or， as the old tale is told again in Hadestown， in the song Come Home With Me （reprise）ORPHEUS:I sang a songSo beautifulStones weptAnd from Road to Hell （reprise）:HERMES:See， Orpheus was a poor boyBut he had a gift to giveHe could make you see how the world could beIn spite of the way that it isThat’s what Chester the cricket does too。 Chester was a poor country cricket。 But he had a gift to give。 He made Times Square fall silent in order to hear the tune of his wings。 And for a few minutes， busy New Yorkers saw how the world could be。Chester gets a happier ending than Orpheus， who did not trust Euridyce and so was parted from her forever。 But Chester trusted his friends and returned home safely。George Selden had the idea for this story when he actually heard a cricket chirp in Times Square。 In 1961 this book won the Newbery honor， which sounds like a consolation prize， but there’s another book you may have heard of that also won the runner’s up honor: Charlotte’s Web。 Both books were illustrated by Garth Williams。His eye for detail is superb。 When there’s a stack of newspapers， you can count every paper。 Chester， Tucker， and Harry are drawn to scale， and they look like the animals they are。 Chester is so small that he doesn’t have a discernible face， but his emotions are conveyed by the slant of his antennae。Selden wrote six more books about Chester and his friends， and the story was adapted into an animated film in 1973 by Chuck Jones， of Looney Toones fame， followed by two more films。Selden and Williams are gone， but the Greek myths and Chester endure。 That’s why we keep rereading old stories。 Because sometimes we need an Orpheus to drop into our craziness and make everything turn out right， in spite of the way that it is。 For as long as it takes to sing one song。 。。。more
Susan Anderson
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Cute， classic children’s story。
Megan
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Super cute。 I remembered reading a story about a cricket and a mouse in New York when I was younger and have wondered for years what book it was。 I came across this title while choosing a Newbery book to read for the Pioneer Book Challenge， and it was an obvious fit to the story I remembered。 It was such a fun read！
Worm of the Book
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m almost 29 years old but sometimes I life the simplicity’s of children’s books。 This one I get much enjoyed。 Especially that Chester Cricket was from my state， Connecticut。 I enjoyed his adventures and his new friend and also his music。 I get a bit emotional at the end though。 But good emotional。 Highly recommend。
Christa R
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It was ok。 I liked the classical music references。 It provided a platform for discussion about New York
Renata Shura
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Kids classic though I marvel at the way the young boy travels all over NYC by himself。 Very different times。
Mollie
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i read this book every year at the beginning of summer。
Bethany
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This story is very simple and very pleasant。 I don't think it'll stick in my emotional memory as anything amazing， but I'm glad I finally listened to this children's classic tale and can appreciate the sweet story。 The audiobook reader was great and had distinctive voices for all the characters。 Although for some reason I pictured Chester as a caterpillar for most of the book and kept on having to remind myself that he was a cricket。 This story is very simple and very pleasant。 I don't think it'll stick in my emotional memory as anything amazing， but I'm glad I finally listened to this children's classic tale and can appreciate the sweet story。 The audiobook reader was great and had distinctive voices for all the characters。 Although for some reason I pictured Chester as a caterpillar for most of the book and kept on having to remind myself that he was a cricket。 。。。more
Linda
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This one didn’t hold up so well for me。 I remember being fascinated by the Chester Cricket’s ability to play any song he hears on the radio， as I was never musically talented。 I was also intrigued by how Chester wasn’t happy even though he was famous and so talented！ Mario， the young boy who takes Chester in， and who finds the gilded cage that becomes Chester’s home， is an adventurous fellow， and very independent。 Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat are good friendsti Chester， and they all help each othe This one didn’t hold up so well for me。 I remember being fascinated by the Chester Cricket’s ability to play any song he hears on the radio， as I was never musically talented。 I was also intrigued by how Chester wasn’t happy even though he was famous and so talented！ Mario， the young boy who takes Chester in， and who finds the gilded cage that becomes Chester’s home， is an adventurous fellow， and very independent。 Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat are good friendsti Chester， and they all help each other through their mishaps。 I’ve never read the others in what appears to be a series， and I’m just not that interested in these fellows to keep going。 。。。more
Chummy McKeon
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We listened to audio book in car first and our 6 and 8 years old enjoyed it。 Then we got the actual book and read a chapter a day together。 It is short and good for advanced 2nd graders to 3rd grader to read independently。 I liked that we could discuss about simple lessons about friendship， kindness， honesty， and goodbyes。
Melissa Swearingen
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（Brett actually read this one to the kids， not me！） They seemed to enjoy it！ :）
Lisa Bacigalupi
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