The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
AuthorCharlie Mackesy
IllustratorCharlie Mackesy
Cover artistCharlie Mackesy
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's book
PublisherEbury Publishing (UK)
HarperOne (US)
Publication date
10 October 2019 (UK)
22 October 2019 (US)
Publication placeEngland
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages128 (unpaginated)
ISBN9781529105100
(UK hardcover 1st ed.)
OCLC1182792920
741.5/941
LC ClassPN6737.M35 B69 2019

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is a 2019 illustrated book by Charlie Mackesy. It follows the developing friendship between the four titular protagonists.

Reception

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse became a bestseller.[1][2] It has been reviewed by James Lovegrove, in the Financial Times, and was included in his 2019 best picture book list.[3]

It was shortlisted for the 2020 British Book Awards Non-Fiction Lifestyle Book of the Year,[4] is the 2019 Barnes & Noble Book of the Year,[5] and won the 2019 Waterstones Book of the Year.[6]

Animated adaptation

Main article: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (film)

In October 2022, it was announced that the book was being adapted as an animated short film, directed by Peter Baynton and Mackesy, story adapted by Jon Croker and Mackesy, co-produced by Cara Speller, J. J. Abrams, and Hannah Minghella. The film was co-executive produced by Woody Harrelson with Jude Coward Nicoll voicing the boy, Tom Hollander as the mole, Idris Elba as the fox, and Gabriel Byrne as the horse. Isobel Waller-Bridge composed the short's soundtrack. The short aired on BBC One and streamed on iPlayer on 24 December 2022.[7] Additionally it premiered on Apple TV+ as an Apple Original Film on 25 December 2022 outside the United Kingdom.[8][9] The film won the Best Animated Short Film Academy Award on 12 March 2023.

In 2022 the BBC made a documentary about Mackesy, the book, and the making of the film, titled "Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and Me". It featured contributions from Bear Grylls, a childhood friend of Mackesy.[10]

References

  1. ^ Nora Krug (16 January 2020). "How a surprise bestseller about kindness and vulnerability is bringing people together". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 November 2020. "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" has sold more than 250,000 copies in the United States. It's appeared on multiple bestseller lists,...
  2. ^ Mary Cadden (5 December 2019). "'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' is the Barnes & Noble book of the year". USA Today. Retrieved 20 November 2020. It debuted on the USA TODAY best-selling books list on Oct. 31 at no. 20 and...
  3. ^ James Lovegrove (22 November 2019). "Best books of 2019: Picture books". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 November 2020. Gnomic and wise,...
  4. ^ "The British Book Awards 2020 Winners: Non-Fiction Lifestyle Book of the Year Shortlist". waterstones.com. Waterstones. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  5. ^ "'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' Named B&N Book of the Year". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. ^ "'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse' named Waterstones book of the year, Thunberg named author of the year". booksandpublishing.com.au. Books+Publishing. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  7. ^ "BBC unveils Christmas idents with The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse". Radio Times. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  8. ^ "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse coming to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas". BBC Media Centre. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  9. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (October 10, 2022). "Apple Lands J.J. Abrams-Produced Animated Short 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse,' Starring Idris Elba (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "BBC Two - Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and Me".