Monday, April 27, 2009

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Ages 8-12

PREVIEW SIMILAR BOOKS
Ralph the mouse was terrified. All he had wanted to do was ride the little motorcycle someone had left on the table. Instead, both Ralph and the motorcycle had taken a terrible fall - right into the bottom of the wastepaper basket. He was trapped, left to wait for whatever fate was in store for him.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
By Beverly Cleary, Tracy Dockray, Louis Darling
Illustrated by Tracy Dockray, Paul Zelinsky, Louis Darling
Edition: reissue, illustrated
Published by HarperCollins, 1965
ISBN 0380709244, 9780380709243
158 pages
Amazon.com 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, 9, 10, 11, 12 ) --Emilie Coulter
aspirin, knothole, mousehole, Room service, bellboy, chromium, vacuum cleaner, Gridley, Ralph's mother, baseboard, yapped, exhaust pipe, blueberries, peanuts, Scout's honor, ping-pong, SBAV, ambulance, whiskers, thought Ralph

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