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Loading... The Mouse & the Motorcycle (1965)by Beverly Cleary
Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years. ( )Clearly Beverly Cleary 2012, Book 3. My 4 and a half year old LOVED this. To the point that she would pitch a temper tantrum if there wasn't time to read from it at night. Except she kept calling it "The Rat and the Motorcycle," which kind of has a different vibe. Anyway, the basic story holds up fairly well. There's some sexist characterization that I didn't love -- most annoyingly about the "girls" who were teachers or summer hotel housecleaners, who could never understand the mouse who loved motorcycles -- but it was relatively minimal. Since I was reading the story to Ada I just edited on the fly. A kid who is reading it by themselves might want to have a reminder that this was written a long time ago when it was wrongly believed that only boys liked toy cars, etc. My favorite part of the book is how you make the cars run: By making the sounds, of course! Heh. .... I have to say, I love the line in the review by craines, elsewhere on LibraryThing: "Personal experience: This book makes me think of mice and how much I dislike them." I read this in elementary school. I remembered liking it, so I checked it out from the library to read to my daughter. We both thoroughly enjoyed this book. There are themes of growing up and responsibility, which is nice, but the best part is, of course, that Ralph rides a motorcycle. I love that the there's the line about how Ralph was proud that he was going to be the subject of a composition in a far off place like Ohio. (I would have quoted it, but the book is in my sleeping daughter's bedroom, and I make a policy of not going in there while she's sleeping unless it's incredibly important, like if I want to cuddle her a bit before she gets too big to cuddle.) My daughter has asked my husband and me to read the last five chapters to her over and over again, and then during the day, I find that she's got the book in the living room and is reading sections to herself and then acting them out. I knew that, given her parents, she was likely to grow up to be a reader, but it's very exciting to see it in action. 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 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!
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 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. 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. 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. Is contained inBeezus and Ramona / Ellen Tebbits / The Mouse and the Motorcycle / Muggie Maggie / Otis Spofford / Ramona and Her Father / Ramona and Her Mother / Ramona the Brave / Ramona the Pest / Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary The Mouse and the Motorcycle / Ralph S. Mouse / Runaway Ralph / Strider by Beverly Cleary Beezus and Ramona / The Mouse and the Motorcycle / Ramona and her Father / Ramona and her Mother by Beverly Cleary
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