The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

I read the hard copy of this book last year and thought it was beautiful.
Therefore I jumped at the chance to review a copy of the audiobook - I was wondering how the audiobook would work, as so much of the original book is the illustrations. So I thought that the audio version would be a slight letdown.

However, I was very wrong. The audio version of this book just adds more magic to the original story. The background music and sound effects really bring it to life. I love how the illustrations are described too - so you don't miss out on that front.I also like the fact that Mackesy narrates the audiobook.

This book would make a great bedtime story to listen to with your young ones. It would be lovely to read along with the original book too.
I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this audiobook as much if I hadn't previously read the original hardcopy of the book - I think you need both versions in your life!

I adore Charlie's book and have loved selling and recommending it to customers as our Book of the Year for the previous year. When I saw the audiobook here I was very intrigued - I expected it to be lovely but I'm not sure I could've predicted quite how lovely the whole experience would be. Charlie's narration, paired with the music, the background noises of the wind, birdsong, water and the like, and the story itself, create an incredibly soothing listen. Instead of just reading the text from the book, which might seem a little random out of context, Charlie places the beautiful illustrations into words, and he does it so well. I love this!

I adore Charlie Mackesy's artwork and treated myself to a print of "Gospel Freedom Night" last Christmas. I bought myself a copy of "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse" on publication and was gifted an additional book by a friend. I'm waiting to pass mine on to the right person. Suffice it to say, I was intrigued to learn of an audiobook version of the multi award-winning text. Given the prevalence of Mackesy's drawings, how could it possibly work? Well, I have to say it works beautifully! The soundtrack and effects, alongside Max Richter and Isobel Waller-Bridge's original score, are sublime. Mackesy makes an excellent narrator, bringing his tale to life magnificently. The overall effect is an incredibly immersive, uplifting experience. The content is resplendent with wisdom and important life lessons. I loved it. "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse" has universal appeal and will delight lovers of stories from cradle to grave. As with the book, this audio recording would make a superb Christmas gift.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I am speechless.

The best audiobook I have ever listened to. I found this so calming and relaxing. If you are a fan of ASMR this is a must - something I wasn’t expecting when I requested!

Such a beautiful story. I have just bought a copy of the book. This is something I will definitely go back to time and time again.

Definitely recommend!

Wow! I just loved listening to this delightful tale of the four friends in the title and their wonderful, life-affirming conversations. Charlie Mackesy has the most soothing voice and I could listen to this beautiful story again and again. This is definitely suitable for children and adults alike. It has a heart-warming quality and the relaxing music is just exquisite. Thank you to Charlie Mackesy, Net Galley and Penguin UK Random House Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If my son was still at the age when we did bedtime reading together, this book would be going straight into the treasured pile he used to have. A very important message told in a calming and straightforward way that will appeal to adulslts and children alike.

Charlie Mackesy has created a delightful audio alternative to his illustrated book. Rather than a straight translation from page to voice, Mackesy uses gentle description, music and soundscaping to immerse the listener in the simple and evocative world of his story. Having never experienced 'The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse' before, I must say that I found the steady pace and regular pauses inserted into the narrative helped for its moments of poignancy to linger with me. This feels to me to be an excellent example of accessibility done right. As a sighted user, but someone who regularly suffers from severe migraines, this story was a calming, moving hour of my day.

I’d seen this book around and was really keen to read it when I had a chance, but when it came up as an audiobook I hesitated for a moment. Most of its magic seemed to be in the illustrations, surely without them it would be missing something?

Well, not having read the book version I can’t say but listening to the audiobook I certainly didn’t feel that was the case.

The story is simple with a plot that just about stops it from feeling disjointed but is easy to pick up from any point and would be great for dipping in and out of. It’s really just a lovely, little book full of quotable moments to give you hope and remind you of what truly matters most.

The audiobook perfectly matches the tone of the story and only adds to the charm. The author himself narrates the book, this is not always the best approach but here it works well. Mackesy’s voice is easy to listen to and it really feels like he’s not just reading the words but owning them as well.

Music is used to great effect, painting a vivid picture and maintaining that element of multimedia the book form is known for.

At under an hour, I could definitely see this as something that would be easy to go back to whenever you are feeling overwhelmed and just need to take a break from life. It’s also so calm that it would make a lovely bedtime story for children and adults!

So today is the start of another lockdown in the U.K. it's uncertain times and nothing seems normal.
I took myself off for a short walk to clear my mind and get some fresh air and thought I would pop this on to listen to and WOW!.
The author narrates and what a great voice he has to listen to, very gentle and he comes across as such a humble man almost projecting the thought that he is not worthy of producing this story.
I enjoyed his little antidotes about how things ended up the way they did in this tale, as simple as putting down his cup of tea on the sketch and it leaving mark which became a moon.
The sound effects were brilliant and really brought the story alive from the weather, birdsong, wildlife to a sinister animal trap. The music picked was magically enchanting, just perfect.
But the poignant parts were the insights in to the struggles we face as humans, fitting in and been accepted, relationships, friendships, love and finding the place you belong, the place you call home.
Full of little quips through the friendship of these characters all brought together, it's about life as raw as it can be and the importance of kindness.
My short walk became a long one as I added on more and more just to keep listening which I did until I finished it. I passed people and smiled, I felt like telling them to listen to it too!.
Of course the cliches I had heard before but within the context of the story and at this moment they just reached out and told me everything would be ok.
The discoveries of vulnerability were replaced with strong philosophical messages of hope.
Simply beautiful.
My thanks go to the publishers, author and Netgalley in providing this audio copy in return for a honest review.

I have not read the book, but did know a little about it. It was recommended by a 14 year old in a book group I was running last year. I felt the pictures would be part of the appeal of the book and so viewed listening to the book with curiosity. Would the lack of pictures be a problem?

I listened to the audio in one go and was struck by the wonderful music which accompanied the text and feel that the lack of pictures was made up for by the extra audio experience. Charlie Mackesy, who reads his own book, reads in a halting style, which means you do stop and think about what has just been said. He also suggests that listening without seeing his pictures means that you create your own. He is correct about this and so the pictures are there and they are yours, this is much like reading a book before watching the film of the book, which is how many prefer to approach films of books.

The story itself is philosophical and at times reminded me of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe",. "Wind in the Willows" and "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull". The trust and friendship that was shown by the four friends is something we should all think about and the words after the storm are relevant for the pandemic. I now want to read the book, so that I can properly concentrate on the words. I tend to listen to audio books whilst doing something else and so I remember different things to when I read a book. Alternatively, I should listen to the audio again.

This book has such impressive hype. And not the sort of hype generated by publishers, but rather the genuine hype from readers who desperately shove this book under each other’s noses, or as gifts, to ensure that word is spread.

This book has beautiful illustrations, almost like old fashioned scratchings with oil paints for colour. But the reason people are talking about this book so much is because the tiny, but significant, messages scrawled across each page in beautiful scrolling text really do feel heartfelt, or at least enough to make even the most troubled mind feel a little more settled.

This is a book I will dip back in to repeatedly, when I need it most. I highly recommend it, for readers of any age. I understand why some reviewers ask, “what’s the point?” and I suppose I can see why they feel this way as the narrative is quite lost, but I don’t think the narrative actually is the point, so that’s fine by me.

What an excellent audiobook! Writer Charlie Mackesy read his book and while I was a bit worried about his monotone tone at the beginning, his reading was simply perfect. It was like listening to a meditation that also makes you more accepting and love yourself. If / when I have a child I will 100% buy this as a goodnight story listen. Beautiful!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio.

This book is stunning, I will 100% be buying this for my daughter to read when she’s older. The narration from the author was real and heartwarming. I did find myself tearing up a few times too. This little book will stay with me for a long time!

I already have this book but requested the audiobook version as I just knew after seeing Charlie Mackesy on some Instagram videos recently, that he would be just fantastic at reading this book, and I was not wrong.

This audiobook is just beautiful. It’s almost as though for the hour it is playing, that you are taken somewhere else, somewhere so peaceful and tranquil that your whole body just relaxes and your mind just clears. It’s just beautiful. Whilst Charlie tells this story and describes the illustrations, there’s also gentle music and bird song playing in the background. I’ll definitely be listening to this again as an aide to help me relax.

If you loved this book, you will definitely fall in love with the audiobook version too ❤️

Like many people, I fell in love with The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse last year when I read the book. Immediately after reading the book, I sent out copies to friends and family and promoted the book in the library I work in.

I have to say that I was a little sceptical about how this beautifully illustrated book would translate to an audiobook, but I was completely won over by it. The very simple profound conversations sometimes brought a tear to my eye and other times made me smile.

Charlie Mackesy provides a lovely warm introduction, talking about the e-book project and his hope of drawing the pictures in the listeners imaginations and for the listener to just close their eyes and be part of the story.

As instructed by Charlie, I closed my eyes, listened to his soothing voice and the beautiful music running throughout with perfect nature sound effects, and let the charming story take me away.

I loved the anecdote midway through the audiobook. In the story, Mole shares his thought that the greatest illusion is that life should be perfect. At this point Charlie segues explaining how he put the drawing of this part of the story on the floor to dry and his pet dachshund walked across it smudging the image. In the chaos, he put his mug of tea on a piece of paper which left a perfect moon-shaped ring on the table, which he kept and drew around - life shouldn’t be perfect.

Huge thanks to Penguin Audio for making this available to me to listen to. I will be sending out this very special e-book to family and friends and will promote this absolutely enchanting e-book in my library. Everyone should have the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse in their lives and consider them as friends.

This is a self-help book that is meant to bring hope and simple pleasures with encouraging words. Yes. “Winnie the Pooh” and “Christopher Robin” did spring to mind when reading it. However, I think it could be used for anyone of any age to read when they need some encouragement or reflections on life. It does offer some good advice, and it uses a story to tell it instead of sounding preachy.

A Mole makes friends with a Boy and together they meet a Fox and a Horse. Through asking each other questions, they teach each other and learn from each other, passing on lots of wise words. Some of my favourites are "Isn't it weird, we can only see our outsides, but nearly everything happens on the inside." and "Asking for help isn't giving up, it's refusing to give up." This book made me really crave cake as it seems to be Mole's favourite thing ever.
The reading was pleasant though a little slow, it's always a bonus if the author reads the book themself! There are also some little notes about the drawings from the author.
Being predominantly a picture book, it probably does lose something as an audiobook, not being able to see the drawings. However you do gain the author's reading and insight, as well as the music.

I listened to the audiobook of this and it was beautiful. I loved the ambient sounds and the background piano music that went with each animal. There are some profound messages in this book that will make people think. I found the narrator very slow.

Just glorious! I am waiting for a copy of this book from my library and was intrigued to see this audio version. I must admit I was skeptic about how the tone evoked by the wonderful artwork could be conveyed without something being lost, but decided to give it a go and I’m so glad I did. The narration is outstanding and the whole audio experience truly breathtaking! I cannot recommend this book highly enough, both for children and adults.

Absolutely love the author/ illustrator making his words and pictures accessible to the audio audience. It’s just beautifully done, perfectly paced. I felt I was sitting in a room listening to a true storyteller.

It really is impossible not to love this story.

When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to be listening to the Audiobook edition, he couldn’t quite comprehend how the book in its original format with its wonderful illustrations could be converted into audio. Well, Charlie Mackesy saw there was a need and means to deliver his story and messages to a wider audience (many who are incapable of enjoying the physical book) and managed to deliver an offering that is filled with wonder, joy, love, and some inspiring wisdom.

The combination of the music (which at times reminded me of The Gruffalo, an all-time favourite), the descriptive imagery, and Charlie’s brilliant narration really make up for the lack of pictures.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for a review copy.

“Doing nothing with friends is never doing nothing, is it?'
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

I was a little unsure how this book would translate to audiobook but this was done beautifully. Such a calming, heartwarming tale, would be perfect to listen to while falling asleep.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for a free audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this was selling so highly last year I was curious, but I thought I wouldn't be interested in this children's book. Yet, when I saw there was an audio available on NetGalley my curiosity took over and I just had to request it, and I'm so glad that I did.

This is literally the most wholesome book, and most wholesome audiobook I've ever listened to. It's narrated by the author and he has such a soothing voice to match the sweet, powerful story of this book and I absolutely adored the hour I spent listening to this book.