About This Book

This Newbery Honor Book tells the story of Chester, a cricket from Connecticut, and his friendship with a little boy named Mario, a mouse named Tucker, and a cat named Harry in New York's Times Square.

Chester, a musical cricket from rural Connecticut, finds himself transported (via a picnic basket) to the grit and grime of New York City. When Mario Bellini, a boy from the neighborhood, finds Chester, he raises the insect as his own. Chester soon meets Mario's animal friends, Tucker and Harry, and learns about life on the streets. And when Mario's parents are faced with the bankruptcy of their subway newsstand, the friends try to come up with a plan to save it from disaster.

Williams' detailed and colorful images brighten the harshness of big city life. Readers will enjoy this comical tale of life in the gritty city, and the devotion shared among friends.

A Newbery Honor Book