Every once in a while a story is told, ostensibly for children, which captures so perfectly the imaginative realm in which even children are permitted to dwell only for a time that the adult world must stop and listen too. Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, the books of A.A. Milne, Charlotte's Web, and a few others belong in this category. Now, to their number may be added a new title: The Cricket in Times Square.

The cricket—his name is Chester and he hails from Connecticut—spends only one summer in New York City, where he is transported in someone's picnic lunchbasket; but he will never forget the adventures he has there. The tiny creature is lucky enough to find three really good friends: a little boy named Mario, whose parents, the Bellinis, run an unsuccessful newsstand in the subway station at Times Square; and two animals who are denizens of the place, a fast-talking Broadway mouse named Tucker and his pal, Harry the Cat.

The friends have their ups—as when Tucker, who makes his living "scrounging", is able to scare up something special in the way of food and drink; and their downs—as when Chester dreams of a willow leaf, and in his sleep eats half of a two dollar bill from the Bellini's cash register, and as a result narrowly escapes eviction from his home in the newsstand.

It is a strange world we meet: noisy, garrish, and often hard-hearted, to be sure; but it takes on an odd beauty when seen through the eyes of the animals, and particularly on one memorable occasion when it is graced with the incongruous but haunting sound of a cricket's music.

But to tell the story in any words other than those of George Selden would be unfair and, we hope, unnecessary. If a glance at Garth Williams' illustrations has not already convinced you that this is a story you must read (and we can't believe that it hasn't), then please take the word of some hard-hearted New Yorkers that this little book contains a rare and wonderful reading experience for young and old alike.

From the dust jacket