The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

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.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3 Selden's much loved and acclaimed classic has been abbreviated, retaining only the barest of details. The plot is essentially the same as the original, but the imagery, descriptions, characterizations and dialogue are all pale in comparison. The text evokes no warmth for the characters or the story itself. The addition of many pictures gives the impression that this version is easier to read. Readability tests show that it is not. The cartoon illustrations ``from the acclaimed Hollywood animation'' are colorful, but many are out of focus, and none have the charm of Garth Williams' original illustrations. Selden now has five books featuring Chester Cricket and his friends. Any one of them would be a better choice than this title. Sharron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Community Schs . , Iowa

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>An Excerpt from The Cricket in Times Square

      The three of them jumped down to the floor. The crack in the side of the
      newsstand was just wide enough for Harry to get through. As they crossed
      the station floor, Tucker pointed out the local sights of interest such
      as the Nedick's lunch counter—Tucker spent a lot of time around there—and
      the Loft's candy store. Then they came to the drain pipe. Chester had to
      make short hops to keep from hitting his heed as they went up. There seemed
      to be hundreds of twistings and turnings and many other pipes that opened
      off the main route, but Tucker Mouse knew his way perfectly—even in the
      dark. At last Chester saw light above them. One more hop brought him out
      onto the sidewalk and there he gasped.

      They were standing at one corner of the Times building, which is the south
      end of Times Square. Above the cricket, towers that seemed like mountains
      of light rose up into the night sky. Even this late the neon signs were
      still blazing. Reds, blues, greens, and yellows flashed down on him. And
      the air was full of the roar oftraffic and the hum of human beings. It
      was as if Times Square were a kind of shell, with colors and noises breaking
      in great waves inside it. Chester's heart hurt him and he closed his eyes.
      The sight was too terrible and beautiful for a cricket who up to now had
      measure high things by the heights of his willow tree and sounds by the
      burble of a running brook.