Short, sweet, and oh so much fun, you will believe a mouse can ride a motorcycle! This is the lovely tale of Ralph, a young mouse addicted to the speed and thrill of cycling, and his friendship with a boy who loves miniature race cars. They understand each other through their mutual love of motorcycles. At least according to Ralph.
That old Milo the Bellboy can talk to Ralph is left as a lovely mystery for us to ponder. Perhaps he has a motorcycle too.
The World’s Most Indispensable Movie App
The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.
Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)
As part of my daily ten-minute morning reading meditation, I’m enjoying re-discovering old childhood novels. Recently, my sister and I uncovered a whole stack of old books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse & The Motorcycle was my first pick to reminisce over. RIP to Ms. Cleary, who died on March 25, 2021. She left us with so many lovely children’s books to rediscover and read to our own children. You can see the booklist on her website here. Did you know Cleary was over 100 years old?
Quoted from BeverlyCleary.com: “Beverly Cleary’s books have earned her many prestigious awards. In honor of her achievements, she was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. Of most importance to Beverly Cleary, the more than thirty-five statewide awards her books won based on the votes of her young readers. Her characters, including Henry Huggins, Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Ellen Tebbits, and Otis Spofford, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations.”
The Mouse & The Motorcycle is a charming little fantasy
What stands out about Mouse is its appeal to young boys (the mouse, the child, and even the bellhop are male), but has enough fantasy elements to loop in girls for the ride. It’s fun. It’s funny. And Ralph’s amazing adventures are by no means denigrated by the perils being mouse-sized: being trapped in a waste-basket, climbing down vines quietly enough to elude owls, and the Big Aspirin Hunt. It all feels as real as the epic told by rabbits in Watership Down (my second-favorite novel after The Lord of the Rings).
Mouse is low-fantasy compared to LOTR, but the stakes feel large enough for Very Small Creatures. A clever little story that will make you smile.
(158 pages)
What people are saying
about the RunPee app.
January 4, 2019
RunPee is one of my favourite apps. No more googling a film before you see it and risking spoilers, this app has everything you need to know, not just the best time to go to the toilet. Dan, the developer, also offers an amazing customer service experience. I recently switched phones, and Dan was very generous in sorting things out with me as I moved over to my current system. If you’re an avid film watcher, this is the app for you!
View all reviews
Apple App Store | Google Play Store
Download RunPee app
Movie Grade: A-
You can also watch the short — 45 minutes — 1986 live-action movie based on the book, also called The Mouse and the Motorcycle, in full on YouTube and on Daily Motion.
Children’s Book Review: Harry Cat’s Pet Puppy – A Cricket in Times Square novel
Children’s Book Review – Tucker’s Countryside (A sequel to The Cricket in Times Square)
Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Androidor iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Wicked, Gladiator II, Red One, The Wild Robot and coming soon Moana 2, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Kraven the Hunter, Mufasa: The Lion King and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.
Leave a Reply