Dec 12

Dec 12 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. My book of the year

If there’s only one book you buy, read and/or give (ideally all three) before the end of this year, make it ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’. If I’ve ever read a more beautiful, moving or quietly, powerfully inspiring book, then I certainly can’t remember it.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. You don’t need the excuse of Christmas to buy it

We live in a world that seems divided, angry and unforgiving in so many ways, so the messages of kindness, trust, friendship and courage that shine through every page of author Charlie Mackesy’s beautifully crafted words and illustrations are more impactful and important than ever.

We follow his lonely, questioning boy, cake-obsessed mole, wary fox and gentle horse, as they question and explore life and the world around them, learning from each other and discovering the strength and comfort that’s to be found from accepting your weaknesses, confronting your fears and embracing your differences.

If any of that makes ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ sound at all self-important, or preachy, nothing could be further from the truth.

For starters, in his introduction (which is worth the price of the book alone) Charlie invites you to ‘scribble on it, crease the corners and leave it well thumbed’. Not that you’ll need his encouragement to do any of those things. This is a book you’ll want to return to thumbing through over and over.

Then there are Charlie’s exquisite illustrations, at times deceptively simple - no more than a few lines seemingly scribbled on the page - at others layered and coloured in beautiful detail. But always with the perfectly ‘messy’ (his description) style that is his signature, and never with a line, splodge, or brush stroke more or less than is needed to perfectly capture the sentiment of the moment and the words that accompany it.

Words and illustrations in perfect harmony

And as for those words……well nothing I write could possibly do them justice, so I’ll leave for you to discover what a master craftsman Charlie is, and how, like his illustrations, the simplicity of his words belies the depth of the emotional power they convey.

It comes as no surprise (to anyone other than Charlie, apparently) that Waterstones has made ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ their book of the year too, or why it’s become a best-seller. It is rightly destined to become a classic and a book that no home should be without.

If you’re looking for the perfect present - for Christmas or any other occasion. For someone else, or yourself - look no further.

What’s your book of they year for this year?