The Cricket in Times Square

　　意外來到紐約時報廣場書報攤的蟋蟀柴思特，在那兒結交了好朋友老鼠塔克和哈利貓。牠們某次意外的闖了大禍，柴思特沮喪之餘，偶然舉起雙翅摩擦，發出美妙樂聲，震撼了全紐約，一向匆忙奔走的紐約人居然都心滿意足的停下腳步。在音樂聲中，傍晚的時報廣場彷彿變成靜止的大草原，金色的陽光沐浴著人們，輕風拂過人群，就像拂過一根根高高的青草……

　　成名的滋味不錯卻十分累人，一天兩場的音樂會讓牠感覺像失去了自由，加上秋天到了，牠開始想念在故鄉自由自在、隨心所欲演奏的日子……

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媒體書評
＊ 一隻音樂蟋蟀和牠的好朋友──真正的老鼠和貓的故事，牠們住在時報廣場的書報攤……最吸引人的奇思妙想，加上加爾士‧威廉斯的精美插圖。―學校圖書館學報星級評論

＊ 適合全家人閱讀。―角書雜誌

＊ 這對任何人來說絕對是最有趣的故事。一本適合九到九十九歲閱讀的書，裡面還有加爾士．威廉斯所繪最迷人的插畫。―紐約先驅論壇報

＊ 如果您認識的孩子對音樂感興趣，請將這本書送給他們，我保證能讓他們精神振奮！事實上，賽爾登寫得非常好，如果你用心傾聽，幾乎可以聽到書裡蟋蟀演奏的歌曲。―Jewell Parker Rhodes（《紐約時報》暢銷書Black Brother, Black Brother作者）於Goodreads上的評論

＊ 這本書顯然是為孩子們寫的，但它為每個年齡層的人都提供了一些東西。它充滿了藝術、音樂和愛，對孩子們來說，或是對一個想在一個下午重溫自己純真時代的大人來說，這真的是一個很可愛的故事。─亞馬遜讀者5顆星推薦
 
 　　——中文簡介擷取自《時報廣場的蟋蟀(二版)》，台灣東方出版

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. The trio have many adventures--from taking in the sights and sounds of Broadway to escaping a smoky fire.

Chester makes a third friend, too. 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. He hopes at first to keep Chester as a pet, but Mario soon understands that the cricket is more than that. 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.

The Cricket in Times Square is a 1961 Newbery Honor Book.

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. 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 lived in New York City until his death in December 1989. He enjoyed music, archaeology, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Garth Williams illustrated all seven of the Chester Cricket books and many other distinguished works, including Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.