The Mouse and the Motorcycle facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Beverly Cleary |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Louis Darling |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Mouse and the Motorcycle |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
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Publication date
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1965 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 186 |
| OCLC | 22460783 |
| Followed by | Runaway Ralph |
The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a popular children's book. Beverly Cleary wrote it, and it came out in 1965. This book is the first in a series about a brave mouse named Ralph. Ralph S. Mouse is special because he can talk to people, especially kids! He loves adventure and riding his tiny motorcycle. Ralph lives with his family in an old hotel and dreams of being independent.
Beverly Cleary got the idea for Ralph from her son. He was playing with toy cars and motorcycles while sick. Also, a neighbor showed her a small mouse caught in a bucket.
The book was chosen for the Weekly Reader Children's Book Club. It also won the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1968. Beverly Cleary wrote two more books about Ralph S. Mouse later on. A movie based on The Mouse and The Motorcycle was made in 1986.
Ralph's Big Adventure
Ralph is a mouse living in the Mountain View Inn. This is an old hotel in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Ralph dreams of a life full of excitement and speed. He wants to escape his relatives, who worry about humans finding their mouse colony.
One day, a boy named Keith Gridley visits the hotel. Keith leaves a toy motorcycle on his bedside table. Ralph tries to ride it but cannot make it go. A ringing telephone startles Ralph. Both he and the motorcycle fall into a metal wastebasket.
Keith finds his missing motorcycle in the wastebasket. Ralph's mother worries about him being near humans. But Keith shows Ralph how to start the motorcycle. Ralph just needs to make an engine-like noise! Keith lets Ralph ride it at night.
While Keith's family explores California, Ralph rides the motorcycle. He zooms through the hotel, sometimes a bit carelessly. One night, Keith's mother sees him. At first, she thinks she imagined it. Later, she is sure she saw a mouse on a motorcycle!
Ralph and his motorcycle almost get sucked up by a maid's vacuum cleaner. Ralph escapes by riding into a pile of dirty bedsheets. He chews holes in the sheets to get out. Sadly, he has to leave his precious motorcycle behind.
A Mouse to the Rescue
After Ralph loses the motorcycle, Keith feels a bit disappointed. Still, Keith brings food to the mouse colony. One night, Keith becomes very sick. His parents have no aspirin and cannot get any until morning.
To earn back Keith's trust, Ralph decides to help. He searches the hotel for an aspirin tablet. This is very risky for Ralph. Taking aspirin could be dangerous for a small mouse. Ralph's own father had died from a bad cold.
Ralph successfully finds an aspirin tablet. He borrows Keith's toy ambulance to carry it back. Thanks to Ralph, Keith gets better! Later, one of the hotel housekeepers finds Ralph's motorcycle. It was among the linens where Ralph escaped.
Keith is very thankful. He gives Ralph the motorcycle to keep forever. Ralph uses the space under the TV in the lobby as his own garage.
The Ralph S. Mouse Series
- The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965)
- Runaway Ralph (1970)
- Ralph S. Mouse (1982)
Movie Version
Churchill Films made a movie based on The Mouse and the Motorcycle. It came out in 1986. Ron Underwood directed the film. It featured actors like Mimi Kennedy and Ray Walston.
The movie was released by several companies. These included Strand VCI Entertainment, Golden Book Video, and Weston Woods Studios.
