The Cricket in Times Square — Chapter 3

About This Passage

This short sentence is doing a lot of work in a small space. Tucker does two things: he bites the liverwurst in half (sharing it), and he gives Chester the bigger piece (giving the best part to his new friend). The author does not tell us 'Tucker was a kind mouse.' Instead, the author shows us a single careful action, and the action lets us decide for ourselves what kind of mouse Tucker is. Copying this sentence teaches a writer that what a character does with his hands is often more important than anything the author could say about his heart.

Narration Prompt

Tell someone what happened in this chapter in order. When you get to the most important part, slow down and tell it carefully — what happened, why it mattered, and what you think about it.

Discussion Questions

1. Tucker Mouse had saved the liverwurst for his breakfast the next morning. When he met Chester, he ran back to get it and gave the bigger piece to the cricket. Was Tucker being a good friend, or was Tucker just showing off? What in the story makes you think so?
2. Chester was sitting on top of his tree stump in Connecticut, thinking how nice it was that summer had started, when he smelled the liverwurst. In Chapter 1, Tucker Mouse was sitting at the opening of his drain pipe watching Mario. Why do you think the author shows us both Tucker and Chester as creatures who like to sit still and pay attention to the world around them?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide