Cricket in Times Square: Chapter One

Next month it will be my turn to lead the discussion for Crackerjack's Book Group (ages 7-10). I could choose any book I wished, and, after a quick head-to-head with CJ, whose only request was that the book have to do with mice, I chose Cricket in Times Square.

The meeting is on April 5th, so I have about three weeks to read the book with CJ and prepare an hour's worth of discussion and activities. I'm hoping to organize a lively presentation so I'm taking lots of notes as I go. :)

I know many folks have read this book with their children - multiple times, even! - but somehow we here at By Sun & Candlelight have missed this classic all these homeschooling years! What I plan to do is to post CJ's narration and my notes after we finish each chapter (or so). I will be using these posts to help me craft the discussion for the larger group next month.

And so we begin!

*Chapter One: Tucker*

Summary: (Crackerjack's narration)

"In this chapter, a young boy called Mario has a newspaper stand in a subway station in New York City. Mario is hoping to get money for his father by selling newspapers. He hopes to sell them to the New Yorkers who ride the subway. The sales are going badly.

There is a mouse named Tucker who lives in an old sewer pipe a couple of feet away from Mario's newsstand. He collects paper. He is in his hole and he is watching Mario because he likes him. Tucker hears a wierd noise that he's never heard before, even though he's heard many things."

Discussion Questions:

• What did you think about Mario's parents leaving him alone at the newsstand?
• Have you ever visited a newsstand?
• Have you ever been to NYC?
• Have you ever ridden on a subway?
• What did Paul do to help Mario? Why do you think he did that?

Snack:

• Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
  • "Tucker finished the last few crumbs of a cookie he was eating - a Lorna Doone shortbread he had found earlier in the evening - and licked off his whiskers."

*General Ideas*

Possible Field trip:

• Visit a newsstand to purchase a paper, preferably one in a subway station or in a city area.
• Ride a subway train!

More discussion/activity:

• Tucker had a cozy nest in a drain pipe. What would make a nest cozy for you?
• Where is Times Square? Find New York City on a map.

Books:

• Beneath the Streets in Boston: Building America's First Subway
• The Furry News: How to Make a Newspaper
• Deadline: From News to Newspaper

Links:

• New York Underground
• Times Square Web Cam