The Cricket in Times Square

Revised and Updated Edition

By: George Selden, Stacey Lee

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

An updated version of The Cricket in Times Square, the timeless children's classic featuring a business-savvy mouse, a kind alley cat, and a talented country cricket, featuring a new foreword and revisions by YA author Stacey Lee.

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers

©1960 George Selden (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The story of a musical cricket and his friends, a mouse and a cat of real character, who took up their abode in a Times Square newsstand...Most appealing whimsy with beautiful illustrations by Garth Williams.”—Starred, School Library Journal

Family read-aloud

The Cricket In Times Square was a great book for our family a roadtrip. We enjoyed the narration!

This is the best book ever

This book was so good it was like I was actually there in Times Square and everything felt real with the audio

Unfortunate Sound Effect

Sound effects were obnoxious and odd. Additionally by trying to make the cricket's chirping music realistic (with a synthesizer playing a cricket chirp?), they created a truly cringe worthy soundtrack which is so contrary to the whole point of the book.

Excellent narrator & sound affects

The store really came to life with the narrator. The sound affects added to the listening experience.

Book

BEST BOOK EVER so everyone lister to it right now seriously SERIOUSLY JUST DO IT

The Cricket in Times Square.

A lovely story of friendship among unlikely creatures and a boy. Music can calm an angry soul.

I hated the voice

I can’t stand the voice if someone else could read it instead I think it would be better

Loved the background effects

Overall really enjoyed it all! Narrator, story line and the effects made it all come alive!

Cool cat

i liked the way the cricket played
i didn’t like the way the mom acted to the cricket.

Not the recording from your past

I was looking for the recording of this book I had as a child on audiocassette. It featured actual violins as the cricket instead of the chirps. This recording was nice & of course the story hasn’t changed but was disappointed it wasn’t the recording from my childhood. I’ll have to keep searching.