Saturday 21 December 2019

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy


The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse has been one of this year's runaway hits at work in the lead up to Christmas. We cannot keep it on the shelves and the UK publishers (Ebury) cannot seem to print enough for demand. School librarians are buying this book by the bucket load. And the Instagram buzz around this book is HUGE.


If you love Winnie-the-Pooh and love a heartfelt message about kindness, caring and hopefulness, then I'm sure this will be a hit with you too.

It shares all the innocence and joie de vivre of Pooh.

It's thoughtful, gentle and motivational.

It celebrates friendship.

It's poignant and full of universal truths.


Mackesy's illustrations are whimsical and tender.

The end papers are just lovely with their cantering, flying horses moving around a musical score.


It's a treasury of kindness from start to finish.


I'm sure that some people will find this too twee or cringe-worthy, because there are always Scrooges.

Bah Humbug!
Let the haters hate; the rest of us can feel warm and fuzzy as we bask in haze of kindness.


The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is the kind of book that makes you crave snowy days, hot chocolates and warm fires.

The desire to snuggle up with favourite little person to explore each page and discuss each message is irresistible.


Minimalism is the key to Mackesy's success. And authenticity.
You can feel his lived experience behind each thought.

Elegant sketches with accompanying wise words, make each page instagramable and hashtag worthy!
They are of this time, yet timeless.
They make you feel nostalgic.
They make you feel better.

In this time of political unrest, climate change and busy, distractible lives, the boy and his animal friends are a timely antidote to all the seems wrong with our world.


Recently the Barnes and Noble booksellers voted it as their Book of the Year for 2019.
"We are pleased to announce Charlie Mackesy’s extraordinary 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' as our winner,” says CEO James Daunt. “This is the book more than any other that has caught the magpie eye of our booksellers. Word of mouth amongst our booksellers has made this inspirational book the surprise bestseller of the year."

If your soul needs nourishing, then this is the book for you.
Recommended for 4 yr olds - 104 yr olds.

4 comments:

  1. Of course I had to try to find this book. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it is on order at my local library! In our toxic political climate, books are trying to fight back with huge doses of kindness, I think.

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    Replies
    1. While you're waiting for the book to appear in your local library check out Charlie's Instagram page for regular hits of kindness :-)

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  2. I keep hearing about this and appreciate seeing more of it in your post here - it does look charming indeed.

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