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.
“Is your glass half empty or half full?” asked the mole.
“I think I’m grateful to have a glass” said the boy.
“Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses” said the mole.
That’s just an idea of what you can expect with this book and, if your eyes haven’t rolled out of your head, you might get something out of Charles Mackesy’s The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse!
Obviously it’s just a dressed-up version of random feel-good messages – there’s no “story” and it’s only superficially a fable. It’s also the kind of book that’s easy to mock because it’s so earnest. But I actually agree with a lot of what’s in the book and think anything this positive and encouraging, particularly to those of us with doubt or low self-esteem, which most of us battle with at one point or another, is worth filling your head with. It just gets a bit repetitive after a while – kindness is good, etc. – and less impressive the more it goes on.
Mackesy’s artwork is quite skilful though I found some of the pictures too sketchy at times – too many lines making the page seem busier than it should. Some of the art is quite beautiful though like the watercolour pages and the Pegasus sequence.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is a modern-day combo of Winnie the Pooh and The Alchemist which isn’t half bad – gentle and sweet, with a good message and full of heart, it’s just a bit cloying at times.
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