The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2019) was written and illustrated by Charlie Mackesy, a British artist whose work has been exhibited all over the world. Mackesy worked as a cartoonist for The Spectator before becoming a book illustrator for the Oxford University Press. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse holds the record as the longest running number one on the New York Times Bestseller List. It is the only book ever named both the Waterstones Book of the Year and the Barnes and Noble Book of the Year, in 2019. It also achieved Nielsen Platinum status and was inducted into the “21st century Hall of Fame,” and Mackesy won the British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year in 2021. The book was adapted into a short animated film that won both Academy Awards and BAFTAs. It is a poignant and philosophical depiction of the greatest lessons we can learn about life and ourselves. Although it presents as a children’s picture book, Mackesy has said it is for “everyone, whether you are eighty or eight” (i). The experiences and wisdom shared among the four characters highlight The Freedom to Choose Our Responses to setbacks, disappointments, and obstacles; they also demonstrate