The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy
Enter the world of Charlie's four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons. The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse have been shared millions of times online - perhaps you've seen them. They've also been recreated by children in schools and hung on hospital walls. more
128 pages, Hardcover
First published Ebury Press
4.56
Rating
185116
Ratings
26259
Reviews
Charlie Mackesy
46 books 1499 followers
Charlie Macksey was born during a snowy winter in Northumberland. He has been a cartoonist for The Spectator and a book illustrator for Oxford University Press. He has collaborated with Richard Curtis for Comic Relief, and Nelson Mandela on a lithograph project, 'The Unity Series.' Collectors of Mackesy's works include Elizabeth Gilbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Roger Waters, Richard Curtis, The Murdoch Freuds, Tim Bevan, M. Night Shyamalan, Bear Grylls, Howard Goodall, Harry Enfield, and Sting. He has lived and painted in South Africa, Southern Africa, and New Orleans. He co-runs a social enterprise, Mama Buci, in the Zambian copperbelt, which helps families of low and no income to become beekeepers.Community reviews
It is impossible not to like this book. It’s entirely made up of charming illustrations and great handwriting and beautiful sentences and jokes about cake. It gives you zero chance to dislike it. I wish I could dislike it, because I have a very cold and mean soul and it would be very on brand for me to hate something that Chris Evans, Captain America himself, called the most beautiful book/Christmas gift possible and the marketing copy calls “hope in uncertain times. ”But alas. more
when i first saw this title and cover, i said AWWWWW. and then, over the holiday season, so many people were praising this book in print and in person, i knew i needed to get a copy for myself. OR, to get a copy for greg because - fox - and read it before gifting it to him. because i am a monster. for me it's a mixed bag. more
This unforgettable book with the memorable title is a book about friendship, kindness, and self-esteem told in the most special of ways. First there is a boy. He is alone. He comes upon a mole, whom it seems loves cake more than anything else. The mole becomes the boy’s friend and companion, his coach and confidante. more
Written in a hard to read font, I found this disjointed effort quite disappointing. There are some nice quotes but no connecting thread or continuous flow as it lacks a narrative. Both the story and the artwork seemed unfinished and I am left feeling incomplete in my understanding of the popularity of this book. more
5 stunning, powerful, meaningful, and heart-warming stars for my first so called audio book, with a difference, and from a different narrator but a most treasured one. Yes, my 8-year-old Goddaughter / niece narrated this magical little book whilst I sat back and savoured every word and delighted in the look of enjoyment on her face. I bought this for my little darling's birthday in July, and she tells me at the grand old age of 8, it is her “. favourite book in the world ever”. My brother then informs me that this precious little one brought the book to school so she could read to the class as part of the Christmas treat's they were allowed. more
I listened to the audio of this, narrated beautifully by Charlie Mackesy in a meditative style that is sublime and just begs to be listened to again and again, whenever you feel the need for it. This is the perfect read and listen in our turbulent crisis hit times, helping to knit back together our battered bodies and souls. I would certainly recommend it for the simplicity of its pearls of wisdom for those suffering from certain mental health issues, such as depression. Needless to say, I am not surprised that this is loved by so many. If you have not read or heard this, I strongly urge you to give it a try. more
"Sometimes I feel lost," said the boy. "Me too, said the mole, "but we love you, and love brings you home. " - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by @charliemackesy 🌟This book is so many adjectives: powerful, impactful, lovely, heart warming, comforting, beautifully crafted, brilliant, simply amazing, are just a few that come to mind. 🦊As an artist and aspiring book illustrator myself, Charlie Mackesy's stunning artwork is incredibly inspiring. 🖋️I love how loose his line work is, and the way he changes his media. more
I have a Booktube channel now. Subscribe here: https://www. youtube. com/petrikleoWell, isn’t this just incredibly wholesome and hopeful. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy was a book that I spotted several times on many best-sellers list. more
Getting an optimistic overkill while overstraining one's eyes Because this book simply kind of wants to make the world a better placeIt tries to give important, profound lessons about good and bad, struggling with emotional problems, self reflection, and many other topics in a minimalistic way. With some rudimentary drawings and many Buddha zen Yoda wise master style dialogues, scenes, and conclusions, it condenses essential philosophical, ethical, and psychological questions, issues, and problems to a level easy to understand for younger audiences. Who let the fox out horsing around with a mole. An extremely clever character, or more precise personality and temperament, constellation to give the boy the overkill of deep insights. This might have been the trickiest thing in writing the graphic novel, finding the 3 perfect wise or silent companions to create the best allegories, pictures, riddles, and metaphors thinkable. more
a quiet, meaningful collection of comforting thoughts and lovely art. not exactly the most profound of sentiments, but i feel like, if read at the right moment, it really could be quite impactful. full of important and gentle reminders, nonetheless. ↠ 4 stars. more
Lovely illustrations but the words are cringe-worthy. It reads like a shit celebrity's enigmatic Twitter posts. All faux-wisdom that isn't even close to being as deep as it thinks it is. more
A beautiful book with handwritten gems of wisdom about life, love, friendship along with lovely drawings. It was the perfect book to read right now. It takes about ten minutes, but it took me longer because I read it again as soon as I finished it. A real treasure to hold on to or pass on to someone you love, which is what I’m going to do. A perfect book for an uncertain time. more
This is a three-star book that I'm awarding four stars because it encourages the sort of kindness and positivity the world needs at a time when everything seems to be going to shit. more
“This is a book for everyone, eighty or eight-”I agree wholeheartedly. Reading “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” written and beautifully illustrated by Charlie Mackesy is a moving, inspiring and comforting experience . Expressed through short and sweet conversations between four unlikely friends - the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse, the author touches upon themes of kindness, friendship, self–acceptance and life in general. The handwritten and hand-illustrated format gives this book a personal and intimate feel reminiscent of some of the fables and stories we read as children (and still love and enjoy. ). more
A charming little feel good story of life and the wisdom that comes with it, the love & friendship of family who come in all shapes and sizes . Hand drawn illustrations. Geared for any age, as the author states, "from 80-8" 🙂 . more
A particularly maudlin boy, a Yoda-like mole who likes cake, a quiet fox, and a wise horse roam a generic countryside setting saying inspirational Instagram platitudes to one another:“Nothing beats kindness” said the horse. “It sits quietly beyond all things. ”“Often the hardest person to forgive is yourself”“What do you think success is. ” asked the boy. “To love” said the mole. more
Omg. I’ve heard about this book forever. I didn’t believe it. I got it free in a sale. It’s on my favorites list. more
It's hard to find the words for this one. Other people have though. I am not a Pooh fan. (Could those of you throwing stuff at me please stop. I'm just not. more
Just to let people know, I have a problem with any recently published books that I reviewed and have rated with 1 star either disappear or have been hidden. This one disappeared and I have added it again. My previous rating and review disappeared. I found this nauseatingly awful. Sickly sweet wisdoms spoken from a Christopher Robbin like toddler talking to animals. more
'What is the bravest thing you ever said. ' asked the boy. 'Help' said the horse. Gorgeous beautiful black/wite brown/white colour drawings, really beautiful. For me though it is not a 5 star which is the average rating I think at Goodreads, why, because it is a bit a bit of supersweet cuteness and morality overkill. more
This book is so beautiful it almost makes you want to weep. If you are looking for a thoughtful and stunning book as a present for Christmas then look no further - it’s GORGEOUS. This is a wonderful story of unlikely friendships and love which has some fantastic illustrations some of which a a bit reminiscent of E H Shepard’s Winnie the Pooh drawings. The boy first meets the mole and he is adorable - which is something I never thought I’d say about a mole since ‘the little gentlemen in black velvet’ wreak annual havoc with my lawn. He is an optimist and feels that most things are better for cake. more
What a beautiful and inspirational book to start 2021 with. A simple and thought provoking read, where the reader is reminded of the fundamental of goodness and kindness we were all born with. Beautifully illustrated and you cant help but love the characters as they plod along their merry way, a book that old and young can find joy in and I can imagine a mother reading this with her child. I loved the simple little messages that I think we all need reminding of now more so than ever in order to get through the tough times. The book is beautifully illustrated in black calligraphy and watercolour. more
Ten things I HATE about The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse:1: NO NARRATIVE THREADIt's difficult to write a proper review of this novel/graphic novel/compendium/children's reference book because it has no narrative thread whatsoever. It's normal with these kind of experiments, yes, but the meagre paragraphs within are very disjointed and seemingly random. This is especially frustrating when the book's introduction, penned by the author himself, talks about the characters of the horse or the fox or the personality of the boy. What character and personality. If his creations had any personality, they are still in the author's head. more
کتابی برای اینستاگرام شما. اکتابی که مشاهده میفرمایید حقیقتا نوبره. نویسنده عزیزمون زحمت کشیده و 50، 60 شعار همهپسند رو با محوریت "مهربان باشیم" کنار هم آورده و اونقدر لابهلاش نقاشی چپونده که بشه 130 صفحه 😐ااز نظر من نویسنده بسیار تحت تاثیر کتاب "شازده کوچولو" بوده و سعی کرده شبیه اون لطیف و گوگولی باشه. راجع به اینکه توفیق داشته یا نداشته، راستش نمیتونم نظری بدم چون از "شازده کوچولو" هم خیلی خوشم نیومد. اما اصل مطلب اینه که با خوندن همین یک کتاب میتونید تا 2 ماه، یککله هر روز تو اینستاگرام و توییتر و . more
What an absolutely beautiful book. The cursive lettering instead of the traditional block font adds to the aesthetic of this feel good story. The illustrations are exquisite watercolor over sketch pencil. I deeply enjoyed reading this story as much as my children enjoyed listening to it and looking at the pictures. The moral of the story is heartfelt, teaching love and acceptance. more
My sister bought this book for my daughter, who is a bit of a reluctant reader. My daughter has a processing disorder so reading is a lot of hard work. When the book is so good it outweighs the difficulty of the task of reading, I know the book is a winner. As she was reading, she kept running out of her room to tell me about a cute, sweet or touching part of the book. When she finished it, she handed it to me and said, “Your turn. more
I spent a sunny Autumnal morning reading this book and honestly it could not have been more perfect. “What do we do when our hearts hurt. ” Asked the boy. “We wrap them with friendship, shared tears and time, till they wake hopeful and happy again. ” This book spoke to me. more
" بعضی وقتا تنها چیزی که میشنوی تنفره، ولی تو دنیا بیشتر از اونی که فکر کنی عشق و دوست داشتن وجود داره. "از خوندن این کتاب حس خیلی خوبی داشتم. کتابی ساده و کوتاه که خوندنش کمتر از یک ربع وقتم رو گرفت اما تا چندساعت بعد تو دلم از سادگی و پاکی پسربچه و دوستانش لبخند میزدم. این کتاب محدود بهگروهسنی خاصی نیست و مناسب برای ۹ تا ۹۹ ساله، دقیقا مثل شازده کوچولو، پایهایترین سوالها رو میپرسه و بهمون عشق، دوستی، امید و شجاعت رو یادآوری میکنه و هرکسی میتونه یک مفهوم ازش برداشت کنه. عکسهای کتاب هم بسی جذاب بود. more
Passend zum Jahresende 2022 nochmal gelesen. Ich liebe es immer noch INNIGST. Als nächstes schaue ich dann endlich auch den Film. ___Ferbuar 2021: Ich meld mich wieder, wenn ich aufgehört habe zu heulen. 500 Sterne. more
The characters are just like talking inside your head trying to be honest yet positive and kind. I have been looking for a book to read since yesterday to give me the feeling of a long, warm hug. I thought I needed a sad book. But that didn't work. My fever got worse and I just couldn't focus. more