The Cricket in Times Square By George Selden

This is a fun friendship tale of a country cricket who hops into a picnic basket for a treat and ends up riding from Connecticut to Manhattan where he hops off the train at Times Square.  He becomes the pet of a little boy whose family owns a news stand in the subway and is befriended by a mouse and a cat (who happen to be best friends).  He is an extremely talented cricket and uses his talent to help the family that has adopted him, but soon discovers he longs to be back in the country.  This a quick read and a fun and imaginative story.