#BOOKREVIEW #3

CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW AS A WRITER AND READER

Title: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
Author: Charlie Mackesy
Illustrator: Charlie Mackesy
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse is one of the best books I’ve read. It is filled with sketches and minimal text that supports the sketches. The book touches on the emotions and the pain points most of us have experienced in life. The author has either gone through a lot of pain in life or is highly evolved to write a deeply insightful book like this.

Nothing happens in the book, yet the story keeps progressing. The sorrow and the hurt expressed by the characters make you turn the page. Many times, you will find yourself pausing and reflecting on your life to search for the incidents when you felt lonely or vulnerable.

The book has four characters – The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse – who are on a journey and become unlikely friends. The characters are united by their pain and grow in love for each other.

What did I love?

– Aesthetically pleasing visuals: You can look at every page for ten times longer than the usual time spent reading any other book. Every time you find something more interesting on that page.

– The book grows on you: I have forgotten the number of times I have read this book; it is so deep and heart-warming. The wisdom shared hits you hard on your face and shows how fragile life can make you.

– Love is the best medicine: My heart melts when the mole says “I have discovered something better than cake.” “No, you haven’t”, said the boy.” I have,” replied the mole. “What is it?” “A hug. It lasts longer.”

How many of us find it easier to acknowledge the significance of a hug? How many of us often hug our partners, children, friends, and parents?

– Asking for help is the bravest thing: We do not realise that the person sitting next to us is hurt and lost, too. The bravest thing anyone can do is ask for help. That gives courage to other people to seek help and to receive the greatest gift – love and acceptance.

What didn’t work?

The book is a reader’s delight. To find a flaw in a perfectly written book is hard. The only thing I could think is:

– Not for children: the author suggests that the book is fr everyone from 8 to 80. As a teacher, I can say the visuals are powerful for children to make sense in their own way. But, at times, the content might not connect with them. I don’t think an eight- or nine-year-old will understand, “I wonder if there is a school of unlearning.” There are many such discussions between the characters that are hard for a child to understand. I recommend reader profiles from a teen to eighty

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