“The Cricket in Times Square”
by George Selden illustrated by Garth Williams.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1960,151 pages, Grades 4-6.
Fifty years ago, adults felt that childhood should be a period of comfort and protection. To be sure, most of the problems children face today were present in those years, but children’s literature tended to reflect this idea that childhood should be a time of parental guardianship.
This innocent understanding of childhood began to end in the 1960s during the time that “problem novels” began to be published. In these novels, the protagonists often face brutal situations in which parents act irresponsibly. Of course some parents did display these awful traits before the 1960s. Unfortunately, problem novels sometimes painted the world so bleakly that it is hard to see the virtue of hope in the writing. It is still a matter of debate about how much “reality” fourth-graders need to read about.
George Selden has written a beautiful, comforting story during the late 1950s, before this new type of children’s literature appeared. The name of this lovely book is “The Cricket in Times Square.”
Young Mario Bellini works at his parents’ newspaper stand in Times Square. Nearby, Tucker Mouse carefully studies the newsstand with his friend, Harry Cat. Living next to the newspaper stand in a drain pipe, Tucker always knows what is happening in Times Square.
Mario and Tucker both hear a strange sound coming from the subway turnstile on 42nd Street. The boy listens carefully and then reaches down and picks up a cricket that has just arrived by accident on a train from Connecticut. Picking up the cricket, Mario brings him back to the newsstand and places the small insect inside a matchbox. When Mrs. Bellini comes to work, she wants the cricket thrown out. But, little by little, her son and husband get her to accept the insect. They then close up the shop and go home.
As soon as they are gone, Tucker and Harry scamper into the newsstand to greet the cricket. In a high, musical voice, the insect tells them his name is Chester Cricket and his home is in Connecticut. All three quickly become friends.
Mario is excited to have a pet cricket and teaches Chester to do tricks. There is a radio in the newsstand and for the first time, Chester begins listening to music. Mario and the animals love to hear Chester rubbing his wings together and discover that Chester has perfect musical pitch. In fact, when he hears a song on the radio, he can play it perfectly on his wings.
Mama Bellini puts two and two together and realizes that there is money to be made since no one in New York has a singing cricket. Within days, Chester begins playing arias, operas, popular songs and hymns with his wings. The Bellinis start selling all the newspapers and magazines at the stand and the money starts to roll in.
But as the cash register fills, Chester begins to get lonely for the fields and pastures of Connecticut. He is becoming the most famous musician in New York, but wants to give up his lucrative career for his beloved woods and fields in Connecticut. He makes a momentous decision and shares it with the disconsolate Harry and Tucker.
After his most beautiful concert in front of hundreds of people in Times Square, Chester acts. He jumps down on the street and leaves the newsstand. Where does he go and what is he thinking?
I hope you take the chance to encourage the middle-school readers in your family to check out this delightful book. The characters are inviting and interesting. Selden always takes the high road in encouraging honesty and charity.
I loved this title and think you will as well. Enjoy!
