The Cricket In Times Square WITH DUST JACKET
George Selden, Garth Williams
Hardcover
(Ariel Books-Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, Jan. 1, 1960)
The story is about a cricket from Connecticut named Chester who gets caught on a commuter train heading for New York. After stumbling on the subway, Chester ends up in Times Square. Mario Bellini, who helps his parents run a financially struggling newsstand, finds Chester and takes him to the newsstand, as he wants to keep the cricket as a pet and for good luck. Mama Bellini is concerned that the cricket will give the family germs, but Papa Bellini is more easy-going about the cricket's presence. At the newsstand, Chester meets Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat, who spend their time scrounging the city for food and other thrown away items. They show him Times Square, which Chester finds overwhelming. During the story, Chester reveals his musical chirping talent. Mario takes Chester to Chinatown (via the 1 train), where he buys Chester a cricket cage from the Chinatown shop owner Sai Fong.