"Boy!" said Ralph to himself, his whiskers quivering with excitement. "Boy, oh boy!" Feeling that this was an important moment in his life, he took hold of the handgrips. They felt good and solid beneath his paws. Yes, this motorcycle was a good machine all right.
Ralph the mouse ventures out from behind the piney knothole in the wall of his hotel-room home, scrambles up the telephone wire to the end table, and climbs aboard the toy motorcycle left there by a young guest. His thrill ride does not last long. The ringing telephone startles Ralph, and he and the motorcycle take a terrible fall - right to the bottom of a metal wastebasket. Luckily, Keith, the owner of the motorcycle, returns to find his toy. Keith rescues Ralph and teaches him how to ride the bike. Thus begins a great friendship and many awesome adventures. Once a mouse can ride a motorcyle ... almost anything can happen!
On a recent 24 hour road trip to Florida, my five year old son(and the two adults in the car!) became captivated by a very small mouse named Ralph. He sat spellbound in his booster seat from the moment the CD began and didn't utter a sound (except for a giggle every time he heard the P-b-b-b-b-b-b of the motorcycle) until the story came to an end.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a story about the friendship between a boy and a mouse... and the shiny red toy motorcycle that they share. Major themes include friendship, sharing, loyalty, selflessness, keeping your word, and following your dreams even if they are unconventional or unpopular.
It is a wonderful story; imaginative, funny, full of adventure, and it is cleverly written. It is a perfect car companion for young and old and I would recommend it highly.
Both of my children adored this book and IÕm kind of fond of it myself. ItÕs just a cute little story about a friendship between a mouse who lives in an old, run-down hotel and a boy who stays at the hotel over a long weekend. The mouse learns to ride the boyÕs toy motorcycle, which thrills them both (and also thrilled my kids), but gets the mouse into a number of scrapes, including losing the motorcycle. Eventually the mouse learns to be more responsible and to care more about others, and earns back his precious motorcycle. I like the bookÕs message Ð that the more responsible you are, the more privileges you get. ThatÕs something IÕm always trying to teach my kids, and I appreciate the help this book offers in getting the message across. But even more, I love Beverly ClearyÕs light touch, her sense of humor, and her obvious respect for children. She teaches important lessons in a nice way. ItÕs no surprise that she one of most childrenÕs favorite writers.