The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy is a must read for 2020. It is a story of friendship, relationships and life lessons for people of all ages. These unlikely characters discuss life, forgiveness, and the journey we all take on this earth. The characters have hopes and dreams, fears and desires, questions and advice for one another are a quickly becoming four of the most memorable characters in literature. Readers will be able to connect with the boy, the fox, the mole and the horse in many different ways and on different levels. Don’t miss this one, it will make you glow inside.
Interview with Charlie Mackesy:
Teacher thoughts:
- My favorite line is from the mole. He tells the boy, “ One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things.” So true!
- Each student had an opportunity to read the book and record a ”line I love and live by.” We recorded these on a chart and reference it often as part of building community and classroom relationships.
- Sharing a book as a whole class read by reading it one at a time is an engaging way to share literature.
- This book will make a great addition to a collection of texts for social/emotional learning and curriculum.
- The cursive font can be challenging for some readers. Pairing parent and child for a read together enhances the reading experience and allows all readers to participate fully in the reading experience.
- The book is a short read and many parents enjoyed reading the book when their child had finished it. Several parents shared their favorite lines and some even purchased the book to have at home.
- Sharing this book with families helps to build a strong school to home literacy connection.
Students say:
“The author grabbed my attention by writing GREAT lines!”
“The author made me feel great inside with his lines.”
“This book is EXTRAORDINARY!”
“I felt amazing inside when I read this book.”
“I am going to act on the lines in the book toward others so I can feel awesome.”
“I can accomplish what Charlie Mackesy says and it will feel the best.”
“I love when Charlie’s dog walked across the page, it was cool to see that in the illustrations.”
89, and glad to be included in a list of possible readers!
Helped me begin another isolated day, every grand , or great grandchild should give this to any older relatives .
And possibly a few younger ones ?
To comfort the first, and maybe teach the others?
A most humane book