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105th out of 1,973 books
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The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends #1)
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 hea...more
Mass Market Paperback, 176 pages
Published
May 11th 1999
by Yearling
(first published January 1st 1960)
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A cricket, a mouse, and a cat are an unlikely trio--but that's the primary cast of friendy characters in this book. Chester Cricket is from the country and accidentally ends up in the Times Square subway station in Manhatten. It's there that he meets spunky Tucker the mouse and quiet Harry the cat. Chester is found by Mario, a younf boy who works at his parents newstand. Surrounded by new friends, Chester is excited to see new sights and experience new things. And his friends are thrilled to fin...more
I remember my third grade teacher reading this book aloud to us every day after lunch, and I remember really enjoying it, but I could barely remember the main characters when I recently picked it up again! I fell in love with it while reading it this time, it's such a charming story. I love this kind of children's book - a self-contained book with appealing characters you root for, amusing escapades, a unique and distinct setting that you grow to know and understand, and an overarching plot that...more
I enjoyed this book as a child, but for some reason as an adult I had come to mistakenly believe that it was one of those books that had a great plot but which didn't age well in terms of language use. How wrong I was! Re-reading the book, I found it charming in terms of both writing style and events. Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and especially Tucker Mouse all had different personalities that came through in their actions and dialogue, so characterization was definitely distinguished. I thought ...more
When I picked up this book, I was just interested because the story takes its place in New York, where I lived for three years through my college (and I hope to go back and get a job soon). But as I read through, I was facinated by how Selden described each characters and surroundings that I could picture everything in my head. I could exactly guess where in Time Square Station the Bellini's news stand is, how they'lllook, how they'll talk and even how they'll moved and act. All the characters w...more
While I remember reading this book for school when I was very young, I didn't remember much about the plot. It's really an interesting look at New York City in the middle of the 20th century, and was maybe one of my first introductions to the Big Apple. I remember wondering before reading the book if "Times Square" had something to do with time travel or some other kind of science fiction.
Of course, there's nothing like that in George Selden's classic book. It's a simple and ...more
Of course, there's nothing like that in George Selden's classic book. It's a simple and ...more
This book was about a Connecticut cricket who gets lost in New York City. He is taken care of by the Bellini family and befriended by a mouse and a cat. This is an enjoyable book to read. It has lots of different types of characters from animals to the Bellini family, Sai Fong a Chinese man who befriends Mario, the boy who found the cricket, and some minor characters, people who work in Grand Central Station.
Perhaps,though, it would appeal more to people who like New York and unde...more
Perhaps,though, it would appeal more to people who like New York and unde...more
I loved this book. I don't normally like books with talking animals and I don't like Newberry Medal books either but this one was great.
The Times Square subway station from The Cricket in Times Square is full of fiction and nonfiction. Some examples of nonrealistic things would be Tucker Mouse, Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and the Bellinis. Some realistic parts are the shuttle train and the station itself.
Tucker Mouse is a city mouse that lives in a drain pipe with a city ...more
The Times Square subway station from The Cricket in Times Square is full of fiction and nonfiction. Some examples of nonrealistic things would be Tucker Mouse, Harry Cat, Chester Cricket, and the Bellinis. Some realistic parts are the shuttle train and the station itself.
Tucker Mouse is a city mouse that lives in a drain pipe with a city ...more
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE is a classic children's story. Written in the 1960's and the winner of a Newbery Honor Book award, THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE has wonderful staying power. Now, courtesy of Macmillan Young Listeners, the tale truly comes to life.
The story finds a country cricket, Chester, unwittingly stranded in New York City. After falling asleep in a picnic basket in Connecticut, he wakes up in a world that is totally di...more
THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE is a classic children's story. Written in the 1960's and the winner of a Newbery Honor Book award, THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE has wonderful staying power. Now, courtesy of Macmillan Young Listeners, the tale truly comes to life.
The story finds a country cricket, Chester, unwittingly stranded in New York City. After falling asleep in a picnic basket in Connecticut, he wakes up in a world that is totally di...more
The Cricket in times square 4/20/09
By Gorge Selden
150pp.New York,NY
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0-440-41563-2
Have you seen a cricket singing in times square? It happens here in this novel, where Chester Cricket, a musically talented cricket who arrives in New York City on a train from Connecticut.Traveling all alone but luckily found a boy found Chester. The boy liked Chester the moment he was him...more
By Gorge Selden
150pp.New York,NY
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 0-440-41563-2
Have you seen a cricket singing in times square? It happens here in this novel, where Chester Cricket, a musically talented cricket who arrives in New York City on a train from Connecticut.Traveling all alone but luckily found a boy found Chester. The boy liked Chester the moment he was him...more
I first read this as part of a school project in fifth grade. I had high hopes for the story, as my teacher Mrs. Williams had at that point required us to read as a class three books that I to this day consider to be among the best I have ever read (E.B. White's "The Trumpet of the Swan", John D. Fitzgerald's "More Adventures of the Great Brain", and Katherine Paterson's "Bridge to Terabithia").
The Cricket in Times Square was yet another unquestionable hit, ...more
The Cricket in Times Square was yet another unquestionable hit, ...more
What in the hell did I just read? Seriously, I was too distracted by the fact that Mr. & Mrs. Bellini were terrible parents, and I mean Dina Lohan terrible, to pay much attention to anything else. They make their son, Mario, work well past after Midnight on the weekend, the kid has to man their tiny newspaper stand alone at night in the middle of a Times Square subway station. They also allow him to wonder around alone in Chinatown at night. At night! I don't care if this was published in 1960, ...more
Jonathan Stemberger
added it
The Cricket in Times Square:
George Selden writes a coming of age story in The Cricket in Times Square. He builds strong characters in the story with Harry, Tucker, and Chester the cricket; I also hope to build strong characters in my one writing. The main characters are animals which make the story individual and specific; they are easily stereotyped by their own nature. The piece provides a strong setting for the reader, I hope to replicate Selden’s type of description, and he is very spec...more
George Selden writes a coming of age story in The Cricket in Times Square. He builds strong characters in the story with Harry, Tucker, and Chester the cricket; I also hope to build strong characters in my one writing. The main characters are animals which make the story individual and specific; they are easily stereotyped by their own nature. The piece provides a strong setting for the reader, I hope to replicate Selden’s type of description, and he is very spec...more
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden is a story about talent, however, not with humans but with a single cricket who by chanced landed himself at the Times Square subway station. His name is Chester and can create a beautiful melody with his wings. He befriends a cat and a mouse, and a kind little boy who protects and takes care of him. Recognizing his talent, Mario’s parents use Chester a way to finally have some money at their little newspaper stand. I thoroughly enjoyed this bo...more
A charming little book about Chester the Cricket and his adventures with his friends Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat, who all live in the Times Square subway station in New York.
After being tempted by the smell of liverwurst during a picnic, Chester finds himself uprooted from his country home in Connecticut and trapped in a picnic basket, only to escape in the subway station, where he is adopted by Mario, who works at a newstand with his parents. With the help of Tucker and Ha...more
After being tempted by the smell of liverwurst during a picnic, Chester finds himself uprooted from his country home in Connecticut and trapped in a picnic basket, only to escape in the subway station, where he is adopted by Mario, who works at a newstand with his parents. With the help of Tucker and Ha...more
CIP: "Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he'd seen it all. But he's never met a cricket before, which really isn't surprising, because, along with his friend Harry Cat, Tucker lives in the very heart of New York City-the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma of liverwurst right into someone's picnic basket. Now, like any tourist in the city, he wants to look aroun...more
Chester Cricket, a native of Connecticut, gets stuck in a picnic basket and is eventually found and taken in by a young boy, Mario, whose parents own a newstand in the subway. Chester is befriended by two other denizens of the subway station, Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.
Lots of depth can be found in this small book about Chester Cricket and his summer spent in the Times Square subway station. I particularly like that Tucker Mouse is left to be a less than perfect character. He never ...more
Lots of depth can be found in this small book about Chester Cricket and his summer spent in the Times Square subway station. I particularly like that Tucker Mouse is left to be a less than perfect character. He never ...more
Chester Cricket has always lived in a Connecticut meadow, but his curiosity about a picnic basket results in his winding up in the Times Square subway station. This is where Mario Bellini, son of the owners of a struggling newsstand, finds Chester and takes him in. Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat also befriend Chester. Their adventures, disasters, and triumphs form the basis of a wonderful friendship.
This book is utterly delightful. It demonstrates the value of true friendship, loyalty...more
This book is utterly delightful. It demonstrates the value of true friendship, loyalty...more
This is such a classic, and like all good classics, it's not really because it's the most amazing piece of writing EVAR. Really. It's a simple story that glories in friendship, music, and the appreciation of one's surroundings. Simplicity makes for good stories. Does it have tons of other good lessons about fame and responsibility and place and adaptation? Sure. But those aren't the point. It's a cricket, a mouse, and a cat in the subway station of Times Square. Basic enough premise. Be...more
I read this book aloud to my daughters. It won the Newbery Honor in 1961 and the Massachusetts Children's Book Award in 1976. I am sure that I read this as a young girl, but I did not remember it.
We all loved the book! The displaced cricket, Chester, from Connecticut is found in Grand Central Station in New York by a little boy named Mario, who takes Chester to his family's newspaper stand and builds a bed for him. Chester befriends two other creatures in Grand Central Station: a cat...more
We all loved the book! The displaced cricket, Chester, from Connecticut is found in Grand Central Station in New York by a little boy named Mario, who takes Chester to his family's newspaper stand and builds a bed for him. Chester befriends two other creatures in Grand Central Station: a cat...more
The pictures are fabulous.
Selden creates a little subculture of animals in this book that end up revealing a lot about human beings. It is very sweet that each animal is so different and yet they fit together in a strong friendship.
Similarly, Mario learns about crickets from the generous Chinese merchant who tells him a tale from his own country. His story conveys that crickets are forever dispelling wisdom that no one can understand anymore. This idea of underappreciat...more
Selden creates a little subculture of animals in this book that end up revealing a lot about human beings. It is very sweet that each animal is so different and yet they fit together in a strong friendship.
Similarly, Mario learns about crickets from the generous Chinese merchant who tells him a tale from his own country. His story conveys that crickets are forever dispelling wisdom that no one can understand anymore. This idea of underappreciat...more
This story was about three pets who lived in grand central ststion of times square. The old cat chase chasing mouse idea but they happen to be friends. In the middle of the story the cat and mouse meet a cricket who teaches them that the station is going to be closed and moved to central park! So the three animals try to find ways to improve the buisness of the station. The little cricket uses his chirps to make songs for the coustomers entertainment.
The reason I chose this book is b...more
The reason I chose this book is b...more
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I was wondering why I'd never read this before. I realized that in 1960, when it was published, I was an 8-year-old hayseed living in a town that could have fit in Times Square without anyone noticing it was there. I imagine the librarians and teachers there probably gave it a miss. Later, when I was a high school kid working in a little bookstore in another small Michigan town, I remember we stocked this and sold it, but it didn't occur to me to give it a try. Now that I'm a grown-up, & have be...more
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This is the very first real English children's book I read.
I experienced homestay more than 30 years ago(!), and several years later I visited my hostfamily again in a small town in California where they had moved after I had stayed with them. The second time I stayed with them about a month, and probably to kill time, my hostmother borrowed this from a local library for me knowing I'm a cat lover.
I found I didn't remember much-the cover and Mario's trip to Chinatown. It took me une...more
I experienced homestay more than 30 years ago(!), and several years later I visited my hostfamily again in a small town in California where they had moved after I had stayed with them. The second time I stayed with them about a month, and probably to kill time, my hostmother borrowed this from a local library for me knowing I'm a cat lover.
I found I didn't remember much-the cover and Mario's trip to Chinatown. It took me une...more
One of the recipients of the 1961 Newberry Medal Honor Book Awards (that same year Island of the Blue Dolphins won the award). Somehow I missed reading this book as a kid. I read it with my kids. They both LOVE it and were pleased to read it a second time. It is a wonderful little story. The bittersweet ending even brought tears to the eyes of my 9-year-old son - despite the fact that this was his second reading and he knew the ending. He seemed to identify with the boy who is the central charac...more
I read this to the kids over the last few weeks at bedtime. They seemed to enjoy it a good deal. My own thoughts are that the book seems a bit less than the sum of its parts. The musical flourish in the last few chapters is a nice direction to take the book, but it just never feels quite as grand as it should.
That said, the book moves along at a nice clip. Selden builds in a fair amount of fun interaction between the animals. And the book as a whole is a fun read. It's just not going...more
That said, the book moves along at a nice clip. Selden builds in a fair amount of fun interaction between the animals. And the book as a whole is a fun read. It's just not going...more
Winner of the Newbery award 50 years ago. A sweet little book about Chester the cricket from Connecticut and how he adapts to life in NY. The story of an unlikely friendship between a cat, mouse and an insect was very interesting. Nate read this a couple of years ago and liked it, so I thought I would give it a try. I liked how the author taught the readers about music a little. Nice comparisons between the "country in CT" vs. the city of NY. It was a nice change of pace for me. ...more
What a sweet and appealing story about three unlikely friends. A mouse, a cat, a cricket...and a struggling family owned newstand. I was enchanted by this little story. I loved the setting of 1960s New York and all of the references to that bygone era. I was especially interested in the soda jerk and the wonderful concoctions he would make. It is a shame such things don't exist anymore. I don't know how I never came into contact with this story when I was little but somehow I missed it and...more
Really glad to give this a reread. I read it in grade school, far away from NYC, long before I thought of living here. (Tangentially, I bought this copy at Half Price Books near Iowa City.) I know that absolutely none of the details of New York came through for me then, because they were entirely outside my frame of reference, so I was really curious about them now.
Well, 4 stars for the New Yorkiness! It really does a great job, and feels really accurate. A lot of the environment ...more
Well, 4 stars for the New Yorkiness! It really does a great job, and feels really accurate. A lot of the environment ...more
Yesterday felt like a good day to visit a favorite childhood read, so I curled up with The Cricket in Times Square for the evening. I have vivid memories of my third grade teacher reading this to us, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what the plot was about. All I could remember was sitting on that circle rug during storytime being enthralled by the story.
Now that I've re-read it, I can totally see why I loved this so much growing up. Uhhh hello! Talking animals! When I was ...more
Now that I've re-read it, I can totally see why I loved this so much growing up. Uhhh hello! Talking animals! When I was ...more
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“Tucker the mouse said I learned the value of ecomonicness - which means savings.”
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