The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

By Charlie Mackesy

Charlie Mackesy’s beloved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse has been adapted into an Academy Award® winning animated short film, now available to stream on Apple TV+

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER  · USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is not only a thought-provoking, discussion-worthy story, the book itself is an object of art.”- Elizabeth Egan, The New York Times

From British illustrator, artist, and author Charlie Mackesy comes a journey for all ages that explores life’s universal lessons, featuring 100 color and black-and-white drawings.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.

“Kind,” said the boy.

Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this beautiful book, following the tale of a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship and love. The shared adventures and important conversations between the four friends are full of life lessons that have connected with readers of all ages. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062976567

Charlie Mackesy

Charlie Mackesy began sharing conversations between the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse on his social media channels in early 2018. He published The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse in late 2019 and the book has since brought comfort and joy to over seven million readers worldwide. After two years of collaborative work, in 2022, the short film adaptation of the book will be released alongside The Book of the Film. Charlie collaborates with a number of charities, including Comic Relief—he created the iconic “Love Wins” t-shirt—as well as the NHS, Choose Love, WWF and The Samaritans. During the pandemic he donated prints, books, drew on hospital walls, and posted messages of support to NHS workers, which he continues. Charlie began his career as a cartoonist for The Spectator and a book illustrator for Oxford University Press. He spent time in America as a portrait painter and ran art therapy workshops for Alzheimer's sufferers and Holocaust survivors. He lived and painted in South Africa, and collaborated with Nelson Mandela on a lithograph project, "The Unity Series." And worked with Richard Curtis on the set of Love Actually to create a set of drawings to be auctioned for Comic Relief. Away from art, Charlie co-runs a social enterprise, Mama Buci in Zambia. His work features in books, private collections and public spaces, including Highgate Cemetery in London, in hospitals, prisons, churches, and university colleges around the UK, and in women's safe houses around the world.  He lives in Suffolk with his dog Barney.

Book preview

Reviews for The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

[jyangsgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So brilliant! So easy to read, yet so deep and so rich!!
I absolutely enjoyed this book. :) Highly recommend.

[Anthony Akinrinmola · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a quick and beautiful reminder of the things in this world that drive us. It reminds us a little bit of where our strength comes from and how we can always rely on love and friendship even in the darkest of times.

[Misciel Ell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The message of the book itself is that nothing has to be perfect in order to be just what is needed in the world. It brings its own sweetness, patience, wisdom, and joy. That is wonderfully enough. ?

[troymcc-76795 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's more like a sequence of paintings than a book. It took me all of 20 minutes to read. There is a story, but it's very short. It's mainly a collection of cutesy counterintuitive ideas about life. I can understand why people like it. It fits well into the modern era of bite-size bits of content suitable for sharing on social media.

[squeakychu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so gorgeous. From the drawings to the thoughts, it all made me cry. Like [The Little Prince], it used few words and simple pictures to have the reader feel what friendship truly is. There are many quotable thoughts in this book to keep in your heart and in your soul.

[Jose Radillo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was very good and very deep it really made thing a lot about some of the things they said I loved it

[Brayden Copley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely wonderful book to be read again and again, from beginning to end, in pieces, and any way that you want or need.

[Kendra Denlinger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was great. The format was not that great.

[Intan Mustafa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It heals my heart with thought provoking words. Congratulations to the author.

[Nicole Nowell-Jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked it. The simplicity of the presentation while it gets to important and healing thoughts is quite interesting. Well done.

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely book with lovely sentiments. I can see why children are being encouraged to read it.

[A Name · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Little book for when you need a pick-me-up. It's cute.

[Timothy Dono · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Succinct yet with unique heart warming messages, and beautiful drawings.

[briandrewz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't say enough good things about this book. This book came to me when I needed it. Lessons of kindness and friendship never go out of style, and Charlie Mackesy has brought us these in such a unique way.Yes, the font may be a bit hard to read at times, but it adds to the character of the book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful.My favorite quote: "Always remember you matter, you're important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can."Highly recommended!

[edgoldberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a charming picture book for children of all ages, great for parents to read for themselves or read to their kids. It is a story of friendship, confidence, loneliness and fulfillment.It is beautiful.

[davidnaiman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is an English muffin, airy and buttery, a tasty treat albeit not much of a meal. May I have another?

[oscarwilde87_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, what a wonderful little book this is. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is about friendship, and life. The artwork in this graphic novel is outstanding and the text is fabulously life-affirming. A recommendation to everyone. 5 stars.

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a charming and beautifully illustrated book. If you imagine the illustrations of Ernest H. Shepard (for the Winnie-the-Pooh books) set to the text of The Little Prince, then you've got a fair idea of what this book is about. It tells of the friendship between the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse in simple, positive and inspirational sentences, though I thought the story was rather disjointed, and maybe a little too heavy-handed on getting the message across. I feel there could have been subtler ways that wouldn't have given the impression that everything said in the book was profound.I adore the illustrations. They're less childlike than the illustrations for Winnie-the-Pooh and The Little Prince, but they exude the same simplicity, charm and beauty as the others.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute and well-illustrated fable that focuses on kindness. The horse seems to be the wisest in this one.

[lisapeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely little book of affirmations that somehow manages to fall more to the side of earnestness and kindness than sentimentality. Mostly thanks to the beautiful gestural ink and watercolor illustrations and brush lettering. It's a really nice package, with a gentle animal-centric theme. This was a good note to end the year on.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautiful and heartfelt story of 4 unlikely friends searching for home, and for understanding what is love. This is a must read with wonderful illustrations. It would make a wonderful gift for anyone of any age. #TheBoyTheMoleTheFoxAndTheHorse #CharlieMackesy

[kglattstein · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A simple book of hope that will remind you of the goodness in humanity.

[5eva5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely and positive book about friendship, hope, and love. The illustrations are fantastic.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

graphic fiction - friendship, love, kindnesslovely paintings illustrate a simple story about unlikely friends who share love and wisdom.

[ar_bookbird · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a sweet book!!!

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

And the mole wants cake.

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One day a little boy meets a mole, befriended by a fox and a horse, and learns a series of life lessons. These lessons have been mirrored by many positive psychology advocates. Victor Frankl's existential therapy is reflected when the boy learns that "we choose how we react to things." Scott Peck's opening line in The Road Less Traveled, "Life is difficult" is introduced with positive messages to put one foot after another when life becomes tough going, to ask for help, and to forgive yourself. Finally, the best admonition is that we exist "to love and to be loved."All these concepts are presented in a beautiful way with beautiful script and illustrations. As the author indicates, this is a book for readers of any age.

[laytonwoman3rd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, this is exactly what it purports to be...a gentle incentive to love yourself, be kind always, and eat cake whenever possible. The drawings are exceptionally appealing; they have a not-quite-final look to them that goes well with the message that we are all works in progress, and it's OK if some of the rough edges still show. The book is simplistic in style and philosophy, but sometimes that's what's needed, like cake.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Likeable philosophical commentary; whimsical artwork to illustrate the story; very esoteric as a children's book; went on too long for my taste.

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Charlie Mackesy, 2019. What a beautiful book! My brother sent this to me last week when I was reading Voices from Chernobyl, and just looking at the cover was a soothing antidote for pain of that book. Mackesy has written and illustrated a charming, little book that is similar to The Little Prince, “But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.” The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse share their secrets to love and life in simple prose. The whimsical illustrations fit the message perfectly. The font is thick cursive that I had a little deciphering at times. A lovely gift book for all, except the most jaded.