A review by svjak
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

If ever there was a book I would reread just for wholesome encouragement and positivity, it would be this one. 

"Do you have any other advice?" Asked the boy. 
"Don't measure how valuable you are by the way you are treated." Said the horse, "Always remember you matter. You're important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can."

Every page of this book had my heart gushing. The characters were adorable and this book feels earnest. Like Charlie Mackesy himself really wanted to get these messages out into the world. And the illustrations are beautifully imperfect. I love the rough sketch style used in this book, as if it's still a work-in-progress but the message is so important that fully rendered illustrations can't wait. 

They're beautiful in their simplicity and Mackesy is a great artist. I loved this decision. 

The one complaint I have about this book is that it is woefully unaccessible. 

This book has been on my TBR for at least two years now and the only reason it's taken me this long to get around to reading it is because the font is illegible to me. My eyesight is very poor, which makes it difficult to read, but on top of that I was struggling to determine which letter was which even when I was able to see a word. 

I really wish that the font in this book was a little more legible.

However, all in all, this is a very cute book. I loved the messages. I loved that each page was like a story in it's own, but all of the pages together told a larger story of friendship and love and acceptance. Very beautiful.