The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Ratings173
Average rating4.4
I don't like this sorta book, was forced to read it by this manipulative person at the time and rated it higher than I wanted. I don't like the idea of horse riding, I could not get behind this.
Perhaps it was the season of life in which I read this book, but this turned out to be such a necessary read. It's filled with many simply beautiful and beautifully simple thoughts on living life.
Highly recommend reading this book!
“The truth is everyone is winging it.”
“Most of the old moles
I know wish they had
listened less to their fears and
more to their dreams.”
“Everyone is a bit scared,”
said the horse.
“But we are less scared
together.”
“How do they look so
together and perfect?”
asked the boy (observing swans swimming in the pond).
“There's a lot of frantic paddling
going on beneath,”
said the horse.
A beautiful, charming, sweet, heartfelt book with beautiful illustrations. Maybe a little cloying and simplistic at moments, but sometimes “that's what you need.
Mole may be my spirit animal. “If at first you don't succeed, have some cake.”
And I feel like i need to repeat that the drawings are gorgeous. So if you get a chance to even just glance through this one, do so.
Somewhere in the 3.5- to 4-star range for me.
The illustrations are very pretty, and the phrases that make up the text are compelling and succinct, with important and universal messages to share. My two complaints with this book are that (a) the text is just that, disjointed phrases rather than an actual story; and (b) the cursive font used by seemingly every published edition, while attractive and probably meaningful (I assume it's the author's handwriting), is just a little bit more difficult to read/adjust to than I'd prefer. Nothing insurmountable, but a bit irritating at first, at least for me.
I'm curious about the movie adaptation of this book, specifically whether or not it adds enough links between the phrases of the original text to create some flow/a story.
This is a picture book, with quick croquis type illustration - like the cover.The pictures are amazing. He has managed to capture the characters with a few ink strokes.I have been following this book growing into what it is through social media, and when the thanks the social media for the encouragement, I feel thanked <3 :-)There really isn't a story. The boy is on his way to home, and meets the other animals on the road, and then has philosophical discussions on the way. It's very much about love and friendship, but no solutions. It makes me feel very happy and remember all the people who love me and whom I love :-)And that makes me tear up. I love this book. I think it's to me what [b:The Little Prince 157993 The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367545443l/157993.SY75.jpg 2180358] is to many others. I hated that book.BTW, here's a link to the music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGk9KxdbvFI
charming and beautiful
made me think a lot
the boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse will all be running and travelling and chatting (and eating cake) in my head forever, reminding me of the valuable lessons of self love and acceptance
This is the sweetest, most lovely little book. The illustrations are fantastic and simple and full of so much life, and the sentiments are a tiny bit cliche, but in a way that feels warm and loving and charming. I can't say enough good things about this book
A very sweet and deep book about authenticity, self love, and the power of friendship. The art is also very cool and unique.
The illustration was beautiful, but there wasn't really a story. It's mostly a list of platitudes, some of which were cute and some cringe-worthy.
Very wholesome words with beautiful drawings. Read it at exactly the right time for me!
Yes, I understand some of the criticisms. And, okay, he's an evangelical. But no gods were mentioned in the making of this book, so I didn't know that until I just read about him a few minutes ago. I just assumed it was a nice book about a boy and his animal friends who love him. That's really the point. Found family. Which is not an intrinsically evangelical concept. It's a sweet little book that wants to make people feel loved. I dare say it's less evangelical than it is humanist. Three animals taking care of a little boy. Three animals who wouldn't necessarily be friends in real life. But with the boy included, they become a family. The sketchy drawings illustrate the beauty of this in just a few lines. The font is difficult, sure, but it's still legible.
In all, a beautiful little nugget of found family sweetness. And furbuddies count as family. Just as my cats.
This book was deeper than I expected it to be. A lot of people can relate to it as it touches the topic of friendship, loneliness, our fears, and love. Very quick read but charming.
2 stars - meaning I did not enjoy the book. I do have something good to say at the end though!
Don't get me wrong, I like books about life wisdom, beauty and courage in living. I am a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh and Dr Seuss! But for this book, I had to go read the introduction after finishing it, to make sure that I did not misunderstand how this book was meant to be executed.
I don't want this to be all rant and no constructive criticism, so I really thought hard to be specific about what I felt fell through.
The greatest flaw of the book is the lack of context in its delivery of its messages. There are characters in here. It's not a self-help book. The animals appear and the boy immediately interviews each of them with rather deep questions right off the bat, like what their definition of success or love is. Hmm why is the boy so pointed in his questions and his motivations behind it? The intro says he's lonely but just from the story I would not have gotten it.
And then it was life advice after life advice with little context or linking between them. In fact I think every one or two pages should be standalone pages reminiscent of motivational Instagram posts (as some other reviewers have pointed out). Perhaps we get an inkling of why, as the author has said in the intro that “You started at the beginning, which is impressive. I usually start in the middle, and never read introductions....I'd like it (the book) to be one you can dip into anywhere, anytime. Start in the middle, if you like.”
Because of this, I felt there was a lack of nuance. Wisdom are punchlines. But if delivered continuously on every page without subtlety, it loses the beauty that makes it punchy and impactful. Now, it reads more like a compendium of life truths to deliver to your friend who is feeling down. Or if you are feeling down, to randomly flip to any page in the middle and here's some instant truth to preach to yourself. There is a reason why Winnie the Pooh is still the one of the go-tos of the genre.
Nonetheless, the illustrations are truly stunning and moving, and I think they alone delivered the storytelling better than with the text. Perhaps without the text, I might have given a 4.5 or 5 star. They are that good! Still, I hope the author does not give up in polishing the delivery of the written parts! As the ending says, look how far you've come and I'm sure there'll be more.
_____
My Rating System:
5⭐️: Excellent book AND influenced a change in my views
4.5⭐️: Excellent read
4⭐️: Great read, will recommend
3.5⭐️: Enjoyable read but missing something that will make it great
3⭐️: An okay read that I didn't regret spending time on it
2⭐️: Didn't enjoy ⬅️⬅️⬅️
1⭐️: Didn't enjoy and had serious issues. Will suggest to avoid.
