Multimedia Curriculum

Chester Cricket finds a picnic basket full of delicious things to eat, so he hops in for a quick meal - and then becomes trapped as a bag of roast beef sandwiches is set in on top of him! By the time he gets free Chester discovers he is far away from his country home in Connecticut, and is lost, alone, and afraid amidst the hustle and bustle of a New York City subway station. Chester is found by Mario Bellini, a young boy whose family runs a small newsstand. Although his mother protests, Mario's father allows him to keep the cricket in the newsstand. Chester quickly makes friends with Tucker, a mouse, and Harry, and cat, who spend their days scrounging through the garbage of the subway. Tucker and Harry decide to help Chester make the best of his situation and introduce him to city life. Soon, with the help of all his friends, Chester begins to enjoy himself and his 'adventure.' Mario has been told that crickets bring good luck, but when Chester accidently eats half of a two-dollar bill, and Tucker nearly burns the newsstand to the ground, Mama Bellini believes the cricket has brought them bad luck. Chester vows to repay the Bellinis for their kindness and the trouble he's caused, but all he has to offer is the music he makes by rubbing his wings together. Chester's musical talent, however, catches the ear of a music teacher who writes about it in the newspaper. before long the Bellinis' newsstand has more customers than ever thanks to Chester's beautiful music. Interactive CD-rom.

Laura's family's first home in Minnesota is made of sod, but Pa builds a clean new house made of sawed lumber beside Plum Creek. The money for materials will come from their first wheat crop. Then, just before the wheat is ready to harvest, a strange glittering cloud fills the sky, blocking out the sun. Soon millions of grasshoppers cover the field and everything on the farm. In a week's time, there is no wheat crop left at all.

On the Banks of Plum Creek is the fourth book in the Laura Years series.