''Adventures of a Cricket'' (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

: ''Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký'') is a Vietnamese children

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

written by

Tô Hoài Tô Hoài (Birth name: Nguyễn Sen; September 27, 1920 – July 6, 2014) was a Vietnamese writer, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and correspondent. The pen name Tô Hoài is derived from the names of Tô Lịch River and Hoài Đức di ...

. The novel is about a

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

named Mèn and his adventure in a human

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and the animal kingdom. The cricket protagonist was originally featured in a 1941

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

by Hoài's ''Con Dế Mèn'' ("The Cricket") to the Tân Dân Publishing House, which corresponds to the first three chapters of the modern edition. Around that year, he then wrote second story eponymously titled ''Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký'' (''Adventures of a Cricket''), which corresponds to the last seven chapters, and later editions of the novel merged it with ''Con Dế Mèn''.

Plot

Mèn, a cricket, born alongside two siblings, is separated from them after only two days according to the cricket family's tradition, and he relishes the independence it brings. Mèn, mischievous and playful, inadvertently causes the tragic death of Choắt (Mèn's neighbor, another cricket) by teasing Cốc (

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...

). As Mèn remorsefully contemplates his actions, he is unexpectedly caught by two human children and lost independence. He is forced to fight against other insects for the children's amusement and was malnourished. A harsh lesson from Xiến Tóc (

longhorn beetle The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns (whose larvae are often referred to as roundheaded borers), are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. Most species are characterized by Antenn ...

) involving cutting of Mèn's antennae, led to Mèn's transformative awakening and growth in maturity. One day, while Mèn was trapped in a matchbox and the children's are playing soccer, Mèn seizes an opportunity to break free Freed from captivity, on the way Mèn goes back home, he rescued Trò (

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

) from a group of spiders that bullied her due to her family's debt. Mèn meets his mother and relatives again after the first adventure. While on the way visiting his older siblings, Mèn seeks a companion for a new adventure and encounters Dế Trũi (

mole cricket Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole, Australian mammals Other common meanings * Nevus, a growth on human skin ** Melanocytic nevus, a specific type of ...

), whom he had previously saved from peril. They become sworn brothers and "set sail" on a leaf, only to encounter treacherous waters and almost died from hunger and exhaustion before reaching the "coastline". On land, Mèn and Trũi are welcomed by the inhabitants of Đầm Lầy (swampy animal village), however, soon they leave due to the boastful and distasteful Cóc (

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

) and Ếch Cốm (

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

). They then travel to Cỏ May (grassy area), a region known for its martial spirit, where they win the fight against Bọ Ngựa và Bọ Muỗm (leader of the

mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate a ...

and bush cricket clans respectively). Mèn and Trũi become leaders of the respective clans. Due to a territorial dispute with the more dominant

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...

clan in the winter, Trũi is jailed by the clan leader Châu Chấu Voi ('elephant' grasshopper). Mèn then leaves and embarks on an independent journey. Many seasons later, though, Mèn still do not find Trũi. He meets Xiến Tóc again, who has cut his antenna, now bored with life and plays with

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

and

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

prostitutes. Xiến Tóc tells Mèn that Châu Chấu Voi is a person of good nature and Trũi is still in good health. Shortly after Mèn leaves, he is caught by Trả (

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

) and forced to become a servant. Trũi and the Châu Chấu Voi clan then rescued Mèn. Mèn realized that the purpose of an insect's life is to collaborate on shared goals and coexist peacefully with the animal kingdom. He sent a message about that realization to the

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s, which then spread the message to the entire animal kingdom. After the second adventure, he returns to his home. Mèn's mother and older anaemic brother are now deceased. Mèn's other brother, who was very stern and denied Mèn's invitation to join his adventures, now became much more manly. In the last chapter, Mèn reflects on his life and is in preparation for his third adventure.

Reception

As told by Hoài, the novel is influenced from his involvement with Vietnam's communist movement during his teenage years, and as such the cricket protagonist features a strong adventurous and driven personality. The novel is very popular in Vietnam and is considered a classic of Vietnamese children books. In 2020, Kim Dong Publishing House's text-only edition of ''Adventures of a Cricket'' has been reprinted 87 times, the most out of all books by the publishing house. The novel has been translated to many languages. Theater adaptations of the novel have been performed in

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

in 2018 and 2023.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Vietnamese novels 1941 novels Children's books about insects Novels about talking animals Fictional crickets Anthropomorphic insects 1941 children's books