Runaway Ralph

Beverly Cleary’s series on Ralph S. Mouse follows Ralph from his initial meeting with Keith at the Mountain View Inn through his adventures at Happy Acres Camp and finally his stay at the housekeeper’s son Ryan’s school. All three books feature anthropomorphic animals—although only Ralph communicates directly with the people around him. In each book, Ralph has a relationship with a boy who can understand his needs and desires because of their shared view of the world. Reading all three books provides a full picture of Ralph’s development, but each stands on its own. All the Ralph books focus on different aspects of friendship and understanding, while following Ralph through his trials and growth. All three books are in Ralph’s limited third-person point of view.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle, published in 1965, introduces Ralph and explains how he gets his beloved motorcycle. He befriends eight-year-old Keith, who stays in the hotel with his parents over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Keith has a motorcycle toy, which awakens a yearning for adventure in Ralph and leads to Ralph talking to Keith—both discovering that if the right mouse talks to the right child, they can understand each other.