The Mouse and the Motorcycle [MOUSE & THE MOTORCYCLE D]

CD audiobook, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

813.36

Publication

Harper Children's Audio (2007)

Description

A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.

Media reviews

Children's Literature
Jeanne K. Pettenati, J.D. (Children's Literature) Ralph, a thrill seeking young mouse living in the Mountain View Inn, makes friends with Keith, the young boy who has just checked into room 215 with his parents. Keith has a shiny mouse-sized motorcycle that Ralph is dying to ride. The friends make
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a deal. Ralph can ride at night if he promises to leave the bike alone during the day when a mouse on a motorcycle would be likely to attract unwanted attention. A crisis ensues when Ralph's curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to take a spin during the day. Ralph is an endearing protagonist that will win his way into readers' hearts. Children will identify with his curiosity and sense of adventure. They will root for him as he schemes to find the missing motorcycle and put things right with Keith. An excellent story and interesting characters blend well with adorable black-and-white illustrations to make this book a winner. 2000 (orig. 1965), HarperTrophy/HarperCollins, $5.95. Ages 7 to 11.
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1 more
BookHive
Beth (BookHive (www.bookhive.org)) Ralph the mouse finds his hearts desire when a little boy enters the room with the most wonderful of all things- a mouse-sized motorcycle! Ralph and Keith become great friends when they learn that all creatures who share a love for motorcycles can communicate.
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The excitement begins when Ralph starts riding the motorcycle into every possible scrape imaginable from running into a nasty dog to trying to outrun the vaccum cleaner. He even gets a chance to save the day! This classic story captures a child's fascination with the big wide world and the trials and triumphs of trying to explore it. Follow Ralph as he uses his dream motorcycle to get closer to his real dream--growing up. Category: Classics; Fantasy; Humor. Grade Level: Primary (K-3rd grade); Intermediate (4th-6th grade). 1965, Morrow Junior Books. Ages 5 to 12.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member ChelseaHopton
This book is a great book for children, or even for teachers to read to children. It is about a mouse who watches people at the Mountain View Inn. A mouse named Ralph is steadily watching from a hole near the floor. Ralph cannot wait to get ahold of the toy motorcycle he spots in the room. The
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motorcycle fits him perfectly and he cannot wait to ride! After Keith meets the mouse they become best friends. Keith must keep Ralph a secret from his mother. Read to see what adventures Ralph and Keith go on!
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LibraryThing member linnaea44
I really enjoyed this book. I vaguely remember reading this as a child and I believe I saw the movie. I really like the adventure of the mouse and his courage throughout the book. He is like many young children wanting to grow up before their time and not understanding that even if you get bigger
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that does not mean you are older and more mature. The friendship gained between Ralph and Keith was priceless. I love how Ralph was amazed at how easily Keith forgave him for his mistakes. Great book for children to learn forgiveness and trust. I would recommend this book to all ages for reading assignment or just for fun.
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LibraryThing member ecarroll
This was filled with exciting adventure overflowing with so much excitment I did not want to put this book down for any reason what so ever. I reccomend this book to anyone.
LibraryThing member cmiersma
Summary: When a little mouse named Ralph has the chance to ride a motorcycle, he must now learn how to be responsible for your actions. This book portrays a typical young boy, or in this case a mouse, who is in love with adventure, and what better way to do so with a motorcycle in your hands. When
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Ralph has the opportunity to prove himself as responsible, he rises to the challenge to save his human friend from his sickness. This book displays a good fantasy through the talking animals and unrealistic activities, such as a mouse riding a motorcycle through a hotel.
Critique: The characters in this book aren’t as descriptive and expressive as most books. Ralph is one of the only characters that is described, and his description is mostly his thoughts. I feel this book is a good book for a young boy to read because the main character has all the same feelings and emotions that most young boys have at that age. The topic and character are also much more related to young boys as well.
Teacher Use: A teacher could present this book as an option for independent reading. The person who reads this particular book can then share with the class the plot, characters, and his feelings about the book during a sharing time.
No Media
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LibraryThing member jessicacl
A fun 2-5th grade read. A mouse named Ralph lives in a hotel in California. He is adventurous and wants to go out and see his world. Keith and his family arrive at the hotel and Keith has a small, shinny, red motorcycle. Keith likes mice, so he teaches Ralph how to ride it. Ralph rides around at
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night. One night, Keith gets sick and Ralph goes on a mission to find aspirin and almost gets caught. I really liked this easy read, 158 pages.
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LibraryThing member dbhutch
I had not read this book in bout 20 some years , i picked it up at the library to ready to my lil girl at night before bed, we both really enjoyed it.
This book is about a mouse named Ralph befriending a boy named Keith after he takes a ride on Keith's toy motorcycle and ends up int he metal waste
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paper basket. It goes on to losing the motorcycle, and helping the boy ... it's a great read .. we are getting book two at the library next week.
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LibraryThing member daffyduck24
This story is about a mouse that lives in a hotel and becomes friends with a little boy who is staying at the hotel. The boy has a little motorcycle that Ralph the mouse likes to ride. Ralph got really sad when the boy got sick so Ralph found an aspirin so he could help the boy get better. Ralph
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used the toy ambulance to get the aspirin to the little boy. When the boy got better and it was time for him to leave he gave the motorcycle to Ralph so he could keep it.
I really liked how the author used a mouse and a boy and showed how they could interact with one another. I liked how Ralph saved the boy's life at the end of the story.
In the classroom I could use a real person and an animal and have the students write a story about them. I could also have the students read other books that are like this book.
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LibraryThing member ccole
Students loved this story. Have the video. Book also pubished under the title"Runaway Ralph"
LibraryThing member lecowan
This book is about a young boy traveling with his parents during summer break. They end up at an outdated California hotel that has long lived its glory days. The boy makes friends with a young mouse who shares a common love of motorcycles with the boy. Through many situations for both the boy and
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the mouse, they form an unusual friendship built on a love of the boy’s toy motorcycle. At the end of this book the boy allows the mouse to keep his toy motorcycle to drive around the hotel and the mouse tells the boy it won’t be long until he, the boy, will be grownup enough to have his own motorcycle.

I think the author of this book chose a very clever way to interpret a boy’s fascination with toys and a “creepy” creature. I particularly enjoyed the part where the mouse races the motorcycle up and down the hotel hallway and terrorizes the terrier in one of the other rooms. I also thought it was touching when the mouse risks his and his family’s lives to find the feverish boy an aspirin.

The story would be good to have the children create a shadow box of. After the students created a shadow box, they could write or tell what their favorite part(s) of the story are and explain why. I also think this would be a good story for boys to read if they’re interested in motorcycles, toy cars or mice. This book would also be a good addition in a lesson dealing with friendship, traveling and growing up.
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LibraryThing member greytfriend
Fantastic book. Easy to read and a great adventure. The characters are very appealing, especially the lead, Ralph the mouse. I would recommend this book for children of all ages. I found it especially useful for the in-between age where the kids want to read an adventure but get a bit scared by a
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lot of the themes and images in many books these days.
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LibraryThing member AuntJha
I just finished reading this to Ethan. We read it one chapter at a time and he might be young for this type of reading, but I think he got something out of it. He remembered the story from day to day, although some of the plot was probably lost to him at less then 3 years old. It helped that there
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was a motorcycle and other cool vehicles and hopefully he'll pick it up and read it again when he's older.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
I bought a ton of Cleary books in a fit of nostalgia a while back, inspired by love of Ramona and classic children's books. Then I put them all on the shelf and read, oh, maybe one of them. Hello, my name is Nicole, and I am an addict.

Inspired by this challenge, I pulled one off of those dusty
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shelves, one that I should have read long ago - The Mouse and the Motorcycle. It's a simple story, about a boy that leaves his toy motorcycle out, the mouse who wants to ride it, and the friendship they form. Ralph, the mouse, is a wonderful character of spunk, and Keith, the boy, is full of imagination and belief. In their world, it's not at all surprising that a toy motorcycle can be made to run just by making the sounds that a real motorcycle should make, and it's equally unsurprising that a mouse can talk. Only children, and child-like adults, can see and know these things. What is strongest about this book is that Cleary so comprehensively captures a child's world. The dialogue, the innocence, the way the world can feel so big, the small acts of bravery. The plot is simple, fun, and a bit heroic; exactly right for young children. I enjoyed my swift read of this old standard.
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LibraryThing member Mary_Overton
It's been 15 years since I read this book, and I had forgotten what a treat it is. Beverly Cleary is still wonderful, even when details of her children's stories are dated. Here she describes Ralph's first bold, solo ride on the toy motorcycle he borrows from his human friend, Keith.
"Ralph had a
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scary feeling he was on the threshold of adventure.... Ralph controlled the trembling of his paws while he hesitated outside the door to consider the possibilities of the hall, which was carpeted down the center, leaving two smooth highways of bare floor on either side along the baseboards. It did not take Ralph long to decide what to do. He picked up his tail, took a deep breath, bent low over the handlebars, flattened his ears, and sped down the straightaway as fast as the motorcycle would go. He could feel his whiskers swept back by the force of his speed. It was glorious!" (50-51)
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LibraryThing member rlanten
A mouse named Ralph and his family live on crumbs left by guests in a little run down motel in California. A boy named Keith comes to stay and becomes friends with Ralph. He even lets Ralph ride his toy motorcycle and brings his family room service to their knothole in the wall. Ralph rides the
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motorcycle when Keith is gone one day and loses it in the laundry and because of it loses Keith’s trust. Keith gets sick one night and needs an aspirin to get rid of a fever but the hotel is out. Ralph risks his life to find an aspirin to help the boy and through it earns his trust back and when the bell hop finds the motorcycle and returns it Keith lets Ralph keep it.

I liked this book. I liked how they made a friendship and were willing to help each other when they were in trouble. I think it has a great lesson for kids in being true friends and how to treat others.

1. Could be used with a lesson on transportation and the importance of motorcycle/bicycle safety.
2. Would be good to use in a lesson about trustworthiness and friendship.
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LibraryThing member JGarner
Ralph is a mouse, living in a hotel with his family. He becomes friends with a guest and the young boy understands Ralph. Ralph learns to ride a motorcycle. Growing up means learning life's lessons for both mouse and boy as Ralph goes hunting for an aspirin for a sick boy.
LibraryThing member JaclynPoe
The Mouse and the Motorcycle is about a mouse named Ralph, his friend Keith, and Keith's motorcycle. The tale encompasses many adventures. The main theme of this book is friendship, and the lengths some will go to for a friend. This is a great book to use when teaching children valuable lessons on
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meeting new friends, and moving away from good friends. I would suggest this book to children in 3rd grade and up.
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LibraryThing member PuffyBear
This book is a really good book. It is suitable for all ages. I really really enjoyed it. Beverly Cleary plots her stories really well. This is a must read book.
LibraryThing member ranaemathias
Ralph lives behind the wall of room 215 in the Mountain View Inn. When Keith and his parents check-in for a few days vacation, Ralph is lured out of his hiding place by the boy's motorcycle left on the desk- just the right size for an adventurous mouse like Ralph! When circumstances force Ralph and
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Keith to come face to face, they become fast friends (must to the chagrin of Ralph's mother). Keith enjoys seeing Ralph ride his coveted motorcycle and bringing him food to share with his mouse family. Ralph quickly figures out if he makes a sound like a motorcycle- "p-b-b-b-b" - he can vary the speed and cover a lot of ground on the second floor at night when all the guests are sleeping. Ralph manages to evade the terrier down the hall, but not the maids who clean the rooms and ends up taking a trip to the laundry room before chewing his way out of the hamper. When Ralph loses the motorcycle in the hamper, Keith is disappointed in him, but soon realizes it could happen to anybody. When Keith becomes sick with a fever, Ralph decides he must help his friend and find him an aspirin. This quest becomes an all-night adventure. When the motorcycle is found by the night clerk, Keith and his family leave, and Keith decides that Ralph should keep the motorcycle.
Even though animals talk and ride toy vehicles, this story is written in such a style that the reader can suspend disbelief for a while. Boys will especially enjoy the adventures of Keith and Ralph, two very likeable characters. Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse are the two sequels to this story by Beverly Cleary.
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LibraryThing member ptnguyen
Part C/fantasy

The book is about the wonderful friendship between Ralph, the mouse, and his friend, Keith. When Ralph spots Keith's toy motorcyle, he becomes interested. Because both friends live in a hotel, Ralph, who craves danger and adventure, rides through the depths of the hotel on the
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motorcycle. When Ralph ends up losing the motorcycle, Keith loses trust in Ralph. When Keith becomes sick, Ralph, determined to regain Keith's trust, goes through extreme troubles in the hotel to find an aspirin for his friend. Keith regains his health. The motorcycle is recovered by the bellboy and Ralph ends up as the proud owner of this gem.

The target audience is ages 8-10. The book is fun but educational at the same time. It teaches respect for others and being kind and repay those who are kind to us. The plot is original, refreshing, and ingenious. The friendship between Keith and Ralph is real, and so is a youngster (Ralph) seeking for adventure in life. There is no good and evil in this story. I have read all of Ms. Cleary's books and love all of her characters, such as Henry Huggins, Beezus, Ramona, Ellen Tibbits, Sheila McRae, Ribsy, and of course, Lee Boyd.
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LibraryThing member kthomp25
Pleasant, quick reading about two friends, a boy and a mouse, who meet intside the hotel room where the mouse, Ralph, lives. Able to communicate, they make plans to share the boy's, (Keith) favorite toy, a mouse-sized motorcylce. All kinds of adventures ensue when Ralph's inexperience gets him and
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the motorcycle intwined with laundry going downstairs.

In addition to the boy and the mouse, the wellfare of the entire mouse community is called into question when Keith's mother reports the presence of mice to the management!
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LibraryThing member alyssajane
I persanly think that this book is a good book for someone in lower grades,but besides that I think that this book is a good caring book for kids and friends.This book shows how friendships come together even though one is diffrent than the other.If you would like to read a good friendly book,here
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is the right book for you! If you have read this book and liked it you can read more about Ralph and his adventers in the 2nd book " Runaway Ralph
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LibraryThing member Miss.Barbara
Young Ralph lives in a knothole in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn, and in his short life he's seen plenty of families come and go. The only difference, it seems, is that some are more generous with their crumbs than other. Then Keith and his parents check in, and they've brought something new: a
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toy motorcycle that's just the right size for an adventure-seeking mouse! Ralph has always dreamed of venturing beyond the second floor, and now is his chance. Unfortunately, his first attempt at a ride lands him right at the bottom of the wastepaper basket, where he has to wait for someone to find him. Luckily, Keith is sympathetic, and generously encourages Ralph to ride. He teaches him the secret to starting the bike ("You have to make a noise...pb-pb-b-b-b") and the tiny mouse adventurer is on his way!

This imaginative, best-selling novel is the first of a series starring Ralph and his motorcycle. Beverly Cleary is the acclaimed author of more than two-dozen books for children, including many award-winners, and the recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for 40 years of distinguished writing for children. While the fantastical premise of The Mouse and the Motorcycle contrasts distinctly with the realism of her beloved "Ramona" stories, Cleary uses the same sensitivity to children and their concerns to make the mouse, his friend, and his adventures ring true — something her devoted readers most certainly appreciate.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Another childhood book that I revisited via audiobook. The recording was fine with lots of character voices. Though the voices weren't exactly my cup of tea, they're appropriate for the audience.
LibraryThing member clshelkoff
Ralph lived in a hotel and he always saw very interesting people. When a young boy checks into the hotel and he has many different toy cars and motorcycles. All Ralph wants to do is ride in all of them. Ralph rode the motorcycle one day and he fell into the trash can. His journey is both funny and
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adventurous.
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LibraryThing member quondame
Sweet and silly, I love that the motorcycle goes when the noise is made.

Original publication date

1965
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