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A review by rliu793
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
5.0
If I remember correctly, this was one of the first books I picked up from the bookstore after my first-grade teacher told my parents they should encourage me to branch out from Junie B. books, lol. I didn't remember much about it at all from my initial read since it was so long ago, but it has the cutest cover and I'd been wanting to reread it since a few trips home ago — finally got around to it now!
I would still probably be pretty grossed out by a real-life mouse or cricket running loose in my room, but for the purposes of this children's book, the author managed to get me to root for them both as Mario's mother sought to get rid of them (though usually, I would've sided with Mama Bellini). The illustrations throughout as well as the friendship that blossomed between Chester the cricket, Tucker Mouse, and Harry Cat were both really wholesome and adorable, making this short book a joy to read.
This may well be the first book I've voluntarily reread, and I (predictably) found deep ideas woven into it that I (understandably) didn't yet have the life experience to take note of, understand or relate to as an early elementary schooler. For example, All that to say, I finally took my fourth-grade teacher's advice to our class to reread books for the benefits of seeing passages in a new light with the knowledge and experiences we've gained over time (in case it wasn't clear already, I'm in a bit of a nostalgic mood xP)!
Anyways, this would be a great read for anyone who likes animals, music, and/or city vibes (the book is set in the NYC Times Square subway station and surrounding areas). And honestly anyone who feels they could use some change (slowing) of pace amid the busyness of everyday life~
I would still probably be pretty grossed out by a real-life mouse or cricket running loose in my room, but for the purposes of this children's book, the author managed to get me to root for them both as Mario's mother sought to get rid of them (though usually, I would've sided with Mama Bellini). The illustrations throughout as well as the friendship that blossomed between Chester the cricket, Tucker Mouse, and Harry Cat were both really wholesome and adorable, making this short book a joy to read.
This may well be the first book I've voluntarily reread, and I (predictably) found deep ideas woven into it that I (understandably) didn't yet have the life experience to take note of, understand or relate to as an early elementary schooler. For example,
Spoiler
upon reaching celebrity status for his hidden musical talent, Chester reflects, "For one thing, although he thought that glory was very nice, Chester found that it made you tired. Two concerts a day, every day, was an exhausting program... Back home in the meadow, if the sun felt nice, or the moon was full, or if he wanted to have a musical conversation with his friend the lark, he would chirp because the mood was on him... Of course he was very glad to be helping the Bellinis, but a lot of the joy was gone from his playing" (112). Although neither my brother nor I ever reached celebrity status for soccer, we've recently been discussing how we'd both grown tired of it as we were pressured into increasingly competitive levels of play (and in my case at least, wanted to instead have the freedom to just play pickup when I wanted). I'm sure the same general concept applies to many other areas of life too, ha.Anyways, this would be a great read for anyone who likes animals, music, and/or city vibes (the book is set in the NYC Times Square subway station and surrounding areas). And honestly anyone who feels they could use some change (slowing) of pace amid the busyness of everyday life~