New Read Aloud... A Cricket in Times Square

We started a new read aloud.  We are listening to A Cricket in Times Square by George Selden.   It was written in 1960 and won the Newbury Award in 1961.  The story is about a cricket from Connecticut, named Chester, who gets caught on a commuter train heading for New York. After finding himself on the subway, Chester ends up in Times Square. Soon Mario Bellini, who helps his parents run their 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 and allows Mario to keep him. 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.  Be sure to ask your child what is happening with Chester Cricket!