the cricket in times square by george selden

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. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. 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. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. The Cricket in Times Square is a 1961 Newbery Honor Book. Because Chester has a hidden talent and no one―not even Chester himself―realizes that the little country cricket may just be able to teach even the toughest New Yorkers a thing or two. He hopes at first to keep Chester as a pet, but Mario soon understands that the cricket is more than that. It is a boy, Mario, who rescues Chester from a dusty corner of the subway station and brings him to live in the safety of his parents' newsstand. The trio have many adventures―from taking in the sights and sounds of Broadway to escaping a smoky fire.Ĭhester makes a third friend, too.

And he could not have found two better guides―and friends―than Tucker and Harry.

Now, like any tourist in the city, he wants to look around.

He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma of liverwurst right into someone's picnic basket. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. 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.

The cricket in times square by george selden