Basic Elements
Characters: Mario Bellini, Chester, Tucker, Harry, Mama Bellini, Papa Bellini, Sai Fong, Mr. Smedley, Paul, Sai Fong’s friend
Setting: A subway station below the Times Square in New York City.
Plot: A country cricket accidentally travels to New York City but is luckily saved by a mouse and a cat.
Perspective: Third-person omniscient narrator
Genre: Fiction
The Cricket in Times Square is written by George Selden and talks about a cricket named Chester visiting a new place. Chester lived in the countryside of Connecticut. One day, he was hungry and crawled into a picnic basket. Unfortunately, the picnic basket went on a train bound for New York. When the basket settled down, Chester was in a subway station. For a few days, he settled down in a wall corner. However, afterward, he started singing his wings. Soon, a poor boy named Mario Bellini discovered him and put him in a matchbox, despite Mama Bellini’s refuses. During that evening, Chester made friends with Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat. They all are friends, despite that the cat can eat the mouse. Mario and his family owned a newsstand, and they earned money out of selling newspapers. One time, Chester ate a two-dollar bill. Tucker Mouse repaid it with his life savings. Another time, Tucker Mouse tripped over a blanket, which tipped the matchbox, setting the stand on fire. Mama Bellini blamed that on Chester, but when he sang a sad song, Mama Bellini forgave him. Overall, Chester helped a lot with the Bellinis’ economy. However, after a few days, Chester decided to retire and return to Connecticut. Tucker Mouse and Harry Car helped him back on a train to Connecticut. They discussed whether to visit Chester that summer.
Friendship keeps everybody helpful to each other; it makes people feel more surrounded and cooperative. Friendship makes people feel more helped and happy; it makes the usage of time more meaningful. Tucker Mouse, Harry Cat, and Chester Cricket all have good friendships with each other. Friendship broadens the interest in helping and increases people in joining their friendship bonds. It is a lifetime necessity, as, without a friend, you would be lonely and sometimes, hopeless.
A sense of belonging determines whether you should stay or leave in one place; it might be a new place for you. It can help you determine whether things are suitable for you or not, so you can find out if you belong there. Chester chose to leave New York City since it wasn’t suitable for him. Most people usually want to explore an area; if it is perfect for him/her to settle down, he/she will decide to stay. A sense of belonging is important since it determines whether you are going to stay at a place or not.
Compromising can remove a lot of unneeded or tiny arguments among people; it can boost productivity and not waste time on small problems. It can help people lessen the decrease of friendships as a result of arguments. Tucker helped repay the debt when Chester ate the two-dollar bill. Without Tucker’s help, Chester could have been locked up in his cage harshly; to avoid this condition, Tucker volunteered to help Chester. Compromising prevents lots of small arguments; it is the best way to boost efficiency on time and work.
The power of music is very strong; it can express people’s feelings and emotions about life or specifically something. It makes people understand others not using words, but using another special alternative to language that is ineffable. Chester has a talent for music, and it has attracted lots and lots of people. Music is a special way of expressing sympathy; using music you can perceive someone’s inside. Music can calm you down when you are stressed and pressured; it can make you feel better.
This book is good because it teaches us how you can survive in a different place. The themes are also very important in life, such as friendship, music, compromising, and most importantly, the sense of belonging. It shows how we can consider staying or leaving a place. The bad thing is that the story talks about a matchbox being set on fire, which might encourage small children to try to do that. Still, the book remains a good one with an interesting adventure inside.
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