The Mouse and the Motorcycle - Softcover

Cleary, Beverly

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380709244 ISBN 13: 9780380709243

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2021

This timeless classic now features a foreword written by New York Times bestselling author Kate DiCamillo, as well as an exclusive interview with Beverly Cleary herself.

In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn.

When the ever-curious Ralph spots Keith's red toy motorcycle, he vows to ride it. So when Keith leaves the bike unattended in his room one day, Ralph makes his move. But with all this freedom (and speed!) come a lot of obstacles. Whether dodging a rowdy terrier or keeping his nosy cousins away from his new wheels, Ralph has a lot going on! And with a pal like Keith always looking out for him, there's nothing this little mouse can't handle.

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

From the Inside Flap:

Read by William Roberts
Two cassettes / 2 hours 25 mins.

All Ralph had wanted to do was ride the little motorcycle someone had left on the table in the hotel room where he lived.  But soon a terrified Ralph finds himself trapped at the bottom of a wastepaper basket.

It's Ralph's lucky day when along comes Keith, the owner of the toy motorcycle, who teaches Ralph how to ride properly, and then turns him loose to enjoy the biking adventure of his life.

But adventure can be both fun a trouble...as Ralph and Keith soon find out!

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2021
• ISBN 10: 0380709244
• ISBN 13: 9780380709243
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176
• Illustrator: Rogers Jacqueline