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    The Cricket in Times Square
    Unavailable
    The Cricket in Times Square
    Unavailable
    The Cricket in Times Square
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Cricket in Times Square

    Written by George Selden

    Narrated by Tony Shalhoub

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

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

    A Macmillan Audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateApr 1, 2008
    ISBN9781427204462
    Unavailable
    The Cricket in Times Square
    Author

    George Selden

    George Selden (1929-1989) was the author of A Cricket in Times Square, winner of the 1961 Newbery Honor and a timeless children's classic. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Selden received his B.A. from Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed to the literary magazine. He spent three summer sessions at Columbia University and, after college, studied for a year in Rome on a Fulbright Scholarship. People often asked Selden how he got the idea for The Cricket in Times Square. "One night I was coming home on the subway, and I did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station. The story formed in my mind within minutes. An author is very thankful for minutes like those, although they happen all too infrequently." The popular Cricket series grew to seven titles, including Tucker's Countryside and The Old Meadow. In 1973, The Cricket in Times Square was made into an animated film. Selden wrote more than fifteen books, as well as two plays. His storytelling blends the marvelous with the commonplace realities of life, and it was essential to him that his animal characters display true emotions and feelings.

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    Reviews for The Cricket in Times Square

    4.5/5

    66 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      i would read this book again it is a good book
    • 3/5
      My kids enjoyed the book quite a bit. Me? I thought it was ok, but nothing really outstanding. Still, it's an interesting look back at what writing styles used to be like.
    • 5/5
      Another childhood favorite.
    • 4/5
      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 learns a "lesson" that changes him into a paragon; he remains a real, fully-fleshed out character with plenty of faults. I also found the exploration of the effects fame can have on a performer to be quite interesting, particularly in light of the current fishbowl climate celebrities live in.

      Listened to the Recorded Books Playaway narrated by Barbara Caruso. The depiction of the Chinese man Mario goes to see for cricket advice made me uncomfortable, but I wonder if the accent was an audio production decision or written into the book. If it was written into the book, I think it would make me less uncomfortable because the book was written in the early 1960s before political awareness was as common. If it was an audio production decision or Barbara Caruso's choice, I'd find that less acceptable since the audio was produced in 1994. Maybe it shouldn't bother me at all, but it just seemed to be in slightly poor taste. I also would love to hear an audio production that incorporated some of the classical music mentioned within the story. What a great way that would be to introduce that music to children and to deepen the impact of the story. I believe my parents read this aloud to us as children, but I didn't remember it at all so maybe I'm wrong.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful tale about a country cricket who ends up in the subway station at Times Square in New York City. He learns that crickets are lucky and that his musical talents could make him famous.A great story illustrating the similarities and differences between country and city life. Also good for showing the stresses of fame and how important one's actual home is.
    • 4/5
      This is the wonderful book that was a runner-up to the Newbery Medal in 1961. Chester a cricket accidently ends up in a picnic basket and is transported to the subway of New York City. The cricket lives in a newsstand and becomes a pet to owner’s son. Here he meets a cat and a mouse and all three become friends. When Chester causes some problems for the newsstand he is almost let go but he comes up with a way of saving the newsstand with his amazing musical abilities. This is a very cute story 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      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 named Harry and a mouse named Tucker. The unlikely trio has several adventures, and they band together to help keep Mario's family from going bankrupt.There are six other books in this series, and we intend to continue reading about the adventures of Chester Cricket and his friends!
    • 3/5
      This 1961 Newbery Honor winner is delightful, charming, witty and funny. When Conneticut living Chester the cricket is inadvertently trapped in a picket basket and travels via train to the Times Square subway station in New York City, he meets up with a host of lively, lovely characters.Late at night while young Mario Bellini is taking care of his family newsstand , he hears an unusual sound from a stack of papers. Rescuing Chester, he convinces his parents to allow him to keep Chester as a pet.When subway-drain-living Tucker the mouse befriends the cricket, Tucker's humorous opera loving friend Harry the Cat joins the mayhem.Together the cricket, mouse and cat help to rescue the financially troubled Bellini business by having Chester perform operatic concerts. Chester has an ear for music and his cricket chirps soon become exquisite sound.The interplay between the critters is charming. While there isn't a lot of substance, still, I recommend this book for many reasons, including the wonderful illustrations by Garth Williams, the laugh out loud moments created by Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat, and the way in which the author captured New York City.
    • 4/5
      A country cricket finds himself in the subway of Times Square in New York. He befriends a mouse and a cat and a young boy whose family runs a newsstand and takes him as a pet. The cricket at first seems to be a jinx to the newsstand until the cricket discovers that he can chirp most any song and becomes a star over night. However, fame is not what the cricket wants, he longs for his country life and decides to give up all in order to return. A cute award winning tale for young readers.
    • 4/5
      Chester Cricket, lured by the smell of liverwurst, is accidentally trapped inside a picnic basket on a lovely day in Connecticut. After a long train ride, he escapes in Grand Central Station, and meets up with Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat who show him the ropes as he gets used to his new home. He is adopted by a young boy, Mario Bellini, whose prents own a newspaper stand in the train terminal. Chester Cricket has many adventures, but his claim to fame begins when his wonderful musical talent is discovered. Alas though, even in being a star, Chester still misses the quiet of the country side and decides he needs to get back home again. This charming classic is still quite enjoyable and will work well for a book discussion for kids ages 9-12, or a little younger with families.
    • 3/5
      I read this book for the first time this week and I'm 21. If I had read it when I was younger I think I would have liked it more. It was still a very cute book and I enjoyed reading it. It's a really quick and easy read, but it still contains an important moral.
    • 5/5
      The kids loved it - I liked it, too.The following is part of the review I posted on my blog, A Sea of Books.Since New York City figures so prominately in the book world this weekend, it seems an appropriate time to post my review of this children's classic. I read it to my niece and nephew over a couple of weeks, reading a chapter or two in the evenings. My nephew is 8 and my niece is 5. This is the first long book that has held both of their interests, and they eagerly looked forward to each session. My niece would often ask during the day if we'd be reading "the cricket book" that night.Believe it or not, I had never read THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE before, and I found myself reading ahead after the kids went to sleep because I just had to find out what happened! And why not? This is a charming story full of adventure, friendships, and whimsy. I don't think anything I say would improve on the abundance of accolades showered on this book through the decades since it was first published in 1960. All I'm going to do is give it a big thumbs up and encourage anyone who hasn't read it, to do so -- with or without a kid at your side! It's thoroughly enjoyable!
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful gem of a book. Chester the Connecticut cricket finds himself accidentally transported to a subway station in New York. He is found by Mario, whose parents are struggling to make a living from their newsstand. Mario is also befriended by Tucker the mouse and Harry the cat, who both live in the subway. Chester is no ordinary cricket – he has a wonderful musical gift. Soon Tucker Mouse realises that Chester can learn new songs from the radio, and he begins giving twice daily performances to commuters, much to the delight of Mario and his parents, who reap the benefits of increased custom at the newsstand. But Chester yearns for the freedom of the countryside where he can chirp at will as the fancy takes him. Tucker and Harry help him get the train back to Connecticut, and they say their bittersweet farewells. Absolutely delightful.
    • 5/5
      What will Chester Cricket do? He is from the country in Connecticut, but accidentally finds himself in bustling New York City after jumping into a picnic basket! While there he is taken in by a young boy named Mario Bellini whose family owns a non-profitable newsstand above the subway station. Mario is a kind and caring young man, but his mother doesn’t like having a pet cricket live in her newsstand. Luckily, Chester is kept company by Tucker the Mouse and Harry the Cat, and the three spend many nights talking, laughing, and eating together.One night there is a terrible fire in the newsstand, and Mama Bellini is fed up with Chester whom she blames for the fire. However, something magical occurs that not only softens Mama Bellini’s heart, but the hearts of all those in New York—Chester’s singing. Will Mama ever grow to accept Chester? Will Chester be able to help the Bellini’s out of their financial despair? Most importantly, will Chester stay in New York City with his new friends or return to his country home? If you want to find out the answer to these questions and read a funny and touching children’s classic, you should pick up a copy of The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden!
    • 4/5
      I have read this book several times now and I still get a little teary-eyed at the end. A warm, gentle story that entertains kids and adults. My 7yo enjoyed the book though it is not a page-turner but more a slow-paced, heart-warming book. One where the characters become your friends. The language is wonderfully descriptive and memorable. Every time I pick this book up I start to remember the scenes of the old Chinese man at the store in China Town. I can't talk about the book without mentioning the illustrations. Written in a time when children's novels were always illustrated, Garth Williams pictures are fabulous. He is one of my favourite illustrators and I'm very likely to read a book simple because he's done the illustrations. Selden went on to write several sequels to this novel, of which I've only read one other "Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride". My son and I look forward to reading some of the others and meeting up with these friends again.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book as a kid. It is great!
    • 4/5
      This book was very realistic because the author used personification to rat, cat, cricket also other animals. This book is very impressive.
    • 5/5
      As a young reader, I absolutely loved this book. One of these, I look forward to reading it again.