 First edition | |
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Louis Darling |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Mouse and the Motorcycle |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | 1965 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 186 |
| OCLC | 22460783 |
| Followed by | Runaway Ralph |
The Mouse and the Motorcycle is a children's novel written by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling and published in 1965.[1] It is the first in a trilogy featuring Ralph S. Mouse, a house mouse who can speak to humans (though typically only children), goes on adventures riding his miniature motorcycle, and who longs for excitement and independence while living with his family in a run-down hotel.
The story and characters were inspired both by Cleary's son, who while recovering from a fever played with miniature cars and motorcycles, and by a neighbor who had shown Cleary a small mouse that had been trapped in a bucket.[2]
The book was released as a selection of the Weekly Reader Children's Book Club (Intermediate Division) and won the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 1968.[3] Cleary went on to write two more books featuring the Ralph S. Mouse character in the following decades, and a film adaptation of The Mouse and The Motorcycle was produced in 1986.
- ^ Cleary, Beverly (1965). The Mouse and the Motorcycle: HarperTrophy Books. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780380709243. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Barling, Ann (1968-08-17). "This Little Mouse Wins Literary Fame". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2019-10-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ""Mouse and the Motorcycle" Is White Book Award Winner". The Emporia Gazette. 1968-04-15. Retrieved 2019-10-09 – via Newspapers.com.