The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

THE UK’S BEST SELLING ADULT NON-FICTION BOOK OF ALL TIME. The book that inspired the BAFTA and Oscar-award-winning short animated film available on BBC and Apple+.

A book for all ages, a book for all times, treasured by millions.

Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse was adapted into the BAFTA and Academy Award winning animated short film.

1. SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

\“What do you want to be when you grow up?\” asked the mole.
\“Kind,\” said the boy.

In this beautiful book, follow 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.

\“A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart.\” Richard Curtis

Author Biography

British artist, illustrator and author Charlie Mackesy began his career as a cartoonist, before becoming a book illustrator for Oxford University Press. His award-winning work has been featured in books, galleries, school classrooms, hospital wards, prisons and public spaces around the world.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse was published in October 2019 and has now reached over 10 million readers around the world. It holds the record for the most consecutive weeks in the Sunday Times Non-Fiction Chart across all formats, as well as being the longest running Non-Fiction number one of all time. A number one New York Times bestseller, it is has also remained on the NYT list since publication. Charlie’s beloved book is the first ever book to be awarded both the Waterstones Book of the Year and Barnes and Noble Book of the Year, and has been translated into over 50 languages. In 2023, Charlie co-wrote and directed the short animated film adaption, which won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, the Academy Award for Best Animated Short film and five Annie Awards including Best Special Production.

Charlie worked with Richard Curtis on the set of ‘Love Actually’ to create a set of drawings for Comic Relief, and with Nelson Mandela on a lithograph project, The Unity Series. His bronzes can be found in public spaces in London, including Highgate Cemetery and the Brompton Road.

Away from art, Charlie co-runs Mama Buci, a honey social enterprise in Zambia that helps families of low and no income become beekeepers. He lives between Brixton and Suffolk.