The Cricket in Times Square Book

I remember my third grade teacher reading this book aloud to us every day after lunch, and I remember really enjoying it, but I could barely remember the main characters when I recently picked it up again! I fell in love with it while reading it this time, it's such a charming story. I love this kind of children's book - a self-contained book with appealing characters you root for, amusing escapades, a unique and distinct setting that you grow to know and understand, and an overarching plot that keeps you hooked. This plot keeps the stories tied together, but the escapades are as intriguing and could be just as easily read on their own. In the vein of "Stuart Little," "The Wind in the Willows," "Ellen Tebbits," or the Ramona series.