The Mouse and the Motorcycle [Hardcover]

Beverly Cleary (Author), Tracy Dockray (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

"Boy!" said Ralph to himself, his whiskers quivering with excitement. "Boy, oh boy!" Feeling that this was an important moment in his life, he took hold of the handgrips. They felt good and solid beneath his paws. Yes, this motorcycle was a good machine all right.

Ralph the mouse ventures out from behind the piney knothole in the wall of his hotel-room home, scrambles up the telephone wire to the end table, and climbs aboard the toy motorcycle left there by a young guest. His thrill ride does not last long. The ringing telephone startles Ralph, and he and the motorcycle take a terrible fall - right to the bottom of a metal wastebasket. Luckily, Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, returns to find his toy. Keith rescues Ralph and teaches him how to ride the bike. Thus begins a great friendship and many awesome adventures. Once a mouse can ride a motorcyle ... almost anything can happen!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Pb-pb-b-b-b. Pb-pb-b-b-b." With these magic vocables, Ralph the mouse revs up a dream come true--his very own motorcycle. Living in a knothole in a hotel room, young Ralph has seen plenty of families come and go, some more generous with their crumbs than others. But when young Keith and his parents check in to the hotel, Ralph gets his first chance to check out. He has always fantasized about venturing beyond the second floor, maybe even outside. Curiosity overcomes caution, and Ralph must have a go at Keith's toy motorcycle. Soon, the headstrong mouse finds himself in a pickle, when all he wanted was to ride a motorcycle. Lucky for him, the boy understands how it is. When he discovers Ralph in his thwarted attempt to abscond with the toy bike, Keith generously encourages the rodent to ride. He even teaches him the simple trick of starting the motorcycle: "You have to make a noise... pb-pb-b-b-b." The subsequent situations Ralph motors into require quick thinking and grownup-sized courage. The team of Beverly Cleary and Louis Darling has been a great favorite for decades, introducing young chapter readers to Ramona, Beezus, Henry, and of course Ralph the mouse. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Cleary again successfully combines fantasy and reality."  --Booklist
"Cleary can't miss with this one!" --Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (January 1, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688216986
• ISBN-13: 978-0688216986
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story for "that sort of boy"...., December 20, 2006

By 

J. Eoll "book worm" (Exeter, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Audio CD)

On a recent 24 hour road trip to Florida, my five year old son(and the two adults in the car!) became captivated by a very small mouse named Ralph. He sat spellbound in his booster seat from the moment the CD began and didn't utter a sound (except for a giggle every time he heard the P-b-b-b-b-b-b of the motorcycle) until the story came to an end.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a story about the friendship between a boy and a mouse... and the shiny red toy motorcycle that they share. Major themes include friendship, sharing, loyalty, selflessness, keeping your word, and following your dreams even if they are unconventional or unpopular.

It is a wonderful story; imaginative, funny, full of adventure, and it is cleverly written. It is a perfect car companion for young and old and I would recommend it highly.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great lessons -- and it's funny too!, August 15, 2001

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Paperback)

Both of my children adored this book and IÕm kind of fond of it myself. ItÕs just a cute little story about a friendship between a mouse who lives in an old, run-down hotel and a boy who stays at the hotel over a long weekend. The mouse learns to ride the boyÕs toy motorcycle, which thrills them both (and also thrilled my kids), but gets the mouse into a number of scrapes, including losing the motorcycle. Eventually the mouse learns to be more responsible and to care more about others, and earns back his precious motorcycle. I like the bookÕs message Ð that the more responsible you are, the more privileges you get. ThatÕs something IÕm always trying to teach my kids, and I appreciate the help this book offers in getting the message across. But even more, I love Beverly ClearyÕs light touch, her sense of humor, and her obvious respect for children. She teaches important lessons in a nice way. ItÕs no surprise that she one of most childrenÕs favorite writers.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book from a 3rd Grader's Perspective, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Paperback)

Th Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary, is the hilarious story of a mouse, a boy, and a toy motorcycle. This the most comical, action-packed story I have ever read. I think that Keith is a young, generous boy who gives Ralph his two most prized possessions, a toy motorcycle and a crash helmet. I love the way Mrs. Cleary portrays Ralph as a medium-sized mouse who is bold, funny, and adventurous. I love how Mrs. Cleary writes her books; when I read them, it seems as though they come alive! Her language is sparkling and well written. This book makes me want to read all of Beverly Cleary's books!