George Selden

Photo by Marcia Johnston

Newbery Honor Book

George Selden (1929-1989) was the author of A Cricket in Times Square, winner of the 1961 Newbery Honor and a timeless children’s classic. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Selden received his B.A. from Yale, where he was a member of the Elizabethan Club and contributed to the literary magazine. He spent three summer sessions at Columbia University and, after college, studied for a year in Rome on a Fulbright Scholarship.

People often asked Selden how he got the idea for The Cricket in Times Square. “One night I was coming home on the subway, and I did hear a cricket chirp in the Times Square subway station. The story formed in my mind within minutes. An author is very thankful for minutes like those, although they happen all too infrequently.” The popular Cricket series grew to seven titles, including Tucker's Countryside and The Old Meadow. In 1973, The Cricket in Times Square was made into an animated film. Selden wrote more than fifteen books, as well as two plays. His storytelling blends the marvelous with the commonplace realities of life, and it was essential to him that his animal characters display true emotions and feelings.

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The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden--Audiobook Excerpt

Listen to this audiobook excerpt from George Selden's classic children's book The Cricket in Times Square, read my Tony Shalhoub. Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he'd seen it all. But he's never met a cricket before, which really isn't surprising, because, along with his friend Harry Cat, Tucker lives in the very heart of New York City—the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket never intended to leave his Connecticut meadow. He'd be there still if he hadn't followed the entrancing aroma

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George Selden

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Tucker's Countryside

George Selden; Illustrated by Garth Williams
Square Fish

Chester Cricket needs help. That’s the message John Robin carries into the Times Square subway station where Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse live. Quickly,...

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Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse: Starring Harry (My Readers Level 2)

My Readers
Story by Thea Feldman; Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov; Inspired by George Selden and Garth Williams
Square Fish

Harry Cat loves the theater. One night he jumps in and lands a part in a big Broadway play. But now Tucker Mouse is home alone and misses him terribly. How...

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Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse: Tucker's Beetle Band (My Readers Level 2)

My Readers
Story by Thea Feldman; Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov; Inspired by George Selden and Garth Williams
Square Fish

My Readers Level 2: Tucker Mouse is managing a beetle band in this all new story created especially for beginning readers based on characters from The Cricket...

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Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse: Harry to the Rescue! (My Readers Level 2)

My Readers
Story by Thea Feldman; Illustrated by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov; Inspired by George Selden and Garth Williams
Square Fish

My Readers Level 2: Tucker Mouse is trapped and Harry Cat is trying to rescue him in this all new story created especially for beginning readers based on...

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Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse / Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride

Chester Cricket and His Friends
George Selden; Illustrated by Garth Williams
Square Fish

See how Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse became friends and then soar above the city with Chester Cricket and Lulu Pigeon in these delightful companions to The...

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The Cricket in Times Square

Chester Cricket and His Friends
George Selden; Illustrated by Garth Williams
Square Fish

A mouse, a cat, and a cricket take a bite out of the Big Apple.

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Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse

Chester Cricket and His Friends
George Selden; Illustrated by Garth Williams
Sunburst Paperbacks

New editions of old favorites Meet Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse. No one would ever dream that a cat and mouse could become friends, but that doesn't stop...

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Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride

Chester Cricket and His Friends
Written by George Selden; Pictures by Garth Williams
Square Fish

Chester Cricket--the famous cricket in Times Square--is homesick. When his friend Mario takes him to a sky show at the Planetarium, Chester realizes how much...

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The Old Meadow

Chester Cricket and His Friends
George Selden; Illustrated by Garth Williams
Sunburst Paperbacks

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Un Grillo En Time Square

Chester Cricket and His Friends
Chester Selden; Pictures by Garth Williams
Square Fish

Tucker is a streetwise city mouse. He thought he’d seen it all. But he’s never met a cricket before, which really isn’t surprising, because, along with his...

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The Genie of Sutton Place

George Selden
Sunburst Paperbacks

A young boy recounts the events of the summer when he had the services of an Arabian genie at his disposal.

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Chester Cricket's New Home

Chester Cricket and His Friends
George Selden; Pictures by Garth Williams
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

"Readers of this favorite series will delight in the chance to share another experience with Chester and the inhabitants of the Old Meadow." --Booklist...

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Harry Cat's Pet Puppy

George Selden
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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