This, the underrated, overlooked and oft forgotten prequel to Runaway Ralph and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence, tells the tail (yes I did!) of one Ralph S. Mouse, a grease monkey of an entirely different genus (Mus). Praised in France for its controversial use of alcoholism in mice and free-spirited sexuality, the book received numerous awards including the prestigious Caldecott Medal. It was later the basis for the film Motorcycle Diaries, for which it was rumored method actor Gael Garcia Bernal spent months preparing for his role as Ralph only to have the role changed to a more believable, though less interesting, Che Guevara. In recent years, the books exclusion from the New York Times' 10,000 Greatest Books from the 20th Century has spawned a grass roots support group called "In the Hearts of Mice."