The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Please allow me first to point out what a joy it was to listen to the woman's voice who did the audio version I listened to. I loved the sound effects she made especially, and happily remembered all the times I read this as a kid. For a few months as a kid, I rode a quad, or what some people call an ATV. So that's a big part of why I liked this then, and I was delighted that an author made such a fun adventure out of it. Now, last night, someone made a cute reference to the book and I wanted to read it again. I found an audiobook version. As often happens, my view changed as an adult. Still a great adventure, just...different for me now. I remembered tons of plot points and descriptions, which I liked. I still found myself wondering show more midway through, how much book there was left. The first chapter is entirely exposition. The second chapter is entire action. In the third chapter, the writing evens out, as it were, and was a more natural balance. Keith is unusually self-aware and forgiving for a kid. Ralph is immature and his knowledge of human food and things is--uneven is the word that comes to mind. Convenient, I guess. This book probably remains a delight for kids, which is great. show less

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. [return][return]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 show more toy cars, etc. [return][return]My favorite part of the book is how you make the cars run: By making the sounds, of course! Heh.[return][return].... 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." show less

I'll admit I read this in like the second grade, so technically I'm not new to the book. But I read it again this semester and remembered why I loved it. The concept is brilliant, having your only real friend be something nobody else would go near and would in fact try to kill, is an excellent way of showing how lonely they both were. I think that really speaks to children that you can always find a friend, you just have to look somewhere unexpected.
And of course the action packed scenes to get the aspirin were as thrilling as ever, especially as I couldn't remember how he did it. It was like reading it for the first time all over again.

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 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 show more 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. show less

Ralph is full of adventure, and I am full of nostalgia for my younger days. I don't actually remember if I read this book, but I definitely saw the ABC Weekend Special episode based on the book, probably a few times. This book is fun and exciting, and while it is full of things that modern kids wouldn't necessarily understand, I think that just makes it all the more of a classic. It's a great chance to explain about how things used to be, though this book even predates parents of the kids that are the right age for the story. It's a book I wish I'd read to my kids when they were younger; they would have loved hearing me make the sounds of the motorcycle and ambulance and maybe even an attempted mouse voice. There's nothing profound show more here, but it's a fun adventure for kids. show less

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 show more 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." show less

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 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!