I have been seeing this book everywhere for months now. It was particularly popular around Christmas, and I actually got it as a Christmas present. It’s a small book. Short, full of pictures, light on words. It doesn’t have a linear plot, nor do you get much in the way of characters. It’s more a collection of small interactions, a lot of which have a moral, others that are observations on life and friendship.
It’s amazing how sometimes books that you can read in a single sitting will really stick with you. This is one of those books. I think it’s one I’ll go back to again and again, and it definitely made me feel hope at a time when I was in need of some.
The art in this book is a style I love. I would actually love to have prints of some of the pages on my wall. Its simplicity belies its impact, and I was completely won over by the relationship between these animals and their friend, a young boy. It holds some of the magic of childhood, but also the wisdom of age. It balances both of these things beautifully and holds important messages that I think any reader will be affected by. I can’t wait to read it with my daughter one day – she loves animals too (I bet she’d love to have a fox for a friend!).
I can see why this book was so popular, and why so many people listed it as a favourite of 2019. If you haven’t read this book yet, I think it’s about time you did. You won’t regret it.
Enter the world of Charlie’s four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.
The conversations of the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared thousands of times online, recreated in school art classes, hung on hospital walls and turned into tattoos. In Charlie’s first book, you will find his most-loved illustrations and some new ones too. – Goodreads
Book Title: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Author: Charlie Mackesy
Series: No (but I really hope that changes)
Edition: Hardback
Published By: Ebury Press
Released: October 10, 2019
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book, Friendship, Wisdom, Feels
Pages: 128
Date Read: February 12, 2020
Rating: 9/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.65/5 (10,710 ratings)
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