Welcome friend! I didn’t expect to read another book featuring the boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse, but Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm was such a pleasant surprise! I really should have read it with a slice of cake. The mole would have been proud and totally understood why I didn’t share the cake.
Charlie Mackesy | Goodreads
The brand-new book from Charlie Mackesy, revisiting the much-loved world of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
‘One day you’ll look back and realise how hard it was, and just how well you did’
Charlie Mackesy’s four unlikely friends are wandering through the wilds again. They’re not sure what they are looking for. They do know that life can be difficult, but that they love each other, and cake is often the answer.
When the dark clouds come, can the boy remember what he needs to get through the storm?
The hugely anticipated new book from Charlie Mackesy, revisiting the much-loved world of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – the internationally bestselling book, with over ten million readers around the world.
This beautiful paper-over-board hardcover includes a dark blue satin ribbon, textured blue quarter bind, illustrated endpapers, and cream sketchbook-quality paper.
Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm – Review
The first book didn’t have as much colour as this one. I love that because storms do bring out the colour in life. Always Remember is full of facts of life, surrounded by beautiful imagery.
Like before, the story is about friendship, but this time it goes deeper. It is about storms that terrify us and the love and courage we have to find within us to keep going. The writing and illustrations go so well together — Charlie Mackesy has a talent for depicting awe through colour, the unknown through a crowded wall of trees, gentleness through smudging, and much more. Each picture is beautiful and speaks volumes.
I thought about my new mom days a lot as I read this. They were extremely difficult. My baby had a tongue tie, and we had grave difficulty nursing. I wanted to give up so many times – at 10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months… waiting for the 6 months mark when the recommended time period would be over. And yet, with encouragement from my husband, I didn’t stop. It really is true:
“One day you’ll look back and realize how hard it was, and just how well you did.”
I’ll never forget how hard it was, but I’ll always remember too that we did so well. At 10 months now, we are still going. New things are on the horizon – her going to daycare and me going back to work. New storms will come and pass.
This small exchange between the mole and the boy is one I would have with my daughter one day.
“You gave me back something I’d lost,” I would say.
“What had you lost?”
“Wonder.”
She surprises me all the time with her curiosity, her perseverance, and her honesty. I watch, spellbound.
Another beautiful message of this book, sometimes in words, sometimes hidden in its dialogue, is to be in the present moment. To be enough as we are. The horse has always been wise and solid for the boy, the mole, and the fox. I was blown away when the horse shared, “Sometimes I worry I don’t have all the answers.” The boy offered love and presence, reminding the horse that they are together— that is the answer. I loved how the teacher became the student in this exchange.
Always Remember is a reminder to be my own friend. To love myself. In those moments when I feel lonely and don’t know what to do, to look inside. To believe that I am loved and I can keep going. The boy gets separated from his friends during a storm. He remembers the horse’s words, and even repetition gives him enough strength to continue to search for them and a way out of the storm.
I can sit and write about every single page in this beautiful book. It’s such a good book to review for this very reason—I reread it just to write about it. I want to close this review with something the boy said while he was lost, which made me cry when I read it the first time.
“I know my mind can play tricks on me, and tell me I’m no good, that it’s all hopeless. But I need to remember who I am; that I’m loved, I matter, and I bring to this world things that no one else can. So I’ll hold on.”
Just like I will hold on to this book and return when I want to remember the storms and the courage and the love that I have. There is always next time and more reasons for cake! I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of insights I get from this book at my next reread.
If you haven’t read my discussion with Ariel about The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, do so here.
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