Runaway Ralph

We read books with many different facilities: our intellect, imaginations, past learning, powers of deduction, powers of debate... We reread books often with at least one more facility: our memories. Books reread are colored by the past, colors growing more vibrant and nostalgic when the distance between reading and rereading is measured in decades. The Ralph S. Mouse books form a bold memory in my imagination. These were my favorite books as a child. My greatest impression now is the belief that there's nothing here that doesn't hold up. A kid picking up the books today cold relate completely to the plucky little mouse and his red motorcycle.

Ultimately, this book is all about what the boy likes, and the boy likes this one. In reading this one, I found a number of occasions where I had to read sentences over a second or third time before I understood what was being said. In one way I complain about that, but as a parent reading to a boy who is learning, it gives the chance for him to see that grownups have to read things over sometimes to understand.

The boy loves the mouse riding the motorcycle along with the idea of animals and boys being able to talk to each other. I like the depiction of an adult who is understanding of children and treats them with respect. The next one in the series is up in the near future.

Charlie, of course, loved it. But I just can't get into this mouse & his motorcycle. Nowhere near as good as the Ramona books.