The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Children’s books—or books ostensibly presented as children’s literature—often have a readership among adults. This can be because adults continue to enjoy the reading, or type of reading, that they remember from childhood, especially as a means to relax, reminisce, or connect with simple ideas and emotions. Often, new books written for children find a cult following among adults, as was the case with The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. It should be considered, however, that although the book matches the expected form and style of a children’s picture book, Mackesy intended that its readership would span all ages. In this way, the book draws on the tropes of children’s literature in order to make a formative and emotionally resonant connection with the reader.

In order to achieve this, Mackesy’s book draws on influences from canonical children’s literature. In particular, it shares many similarities with A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books, first illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Peter Hunt, professor emeritus in English and children’s literature at Cardiff University has commented that The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse “conjures the same notion of a golden world of childhood that Milne’s Pooh books did so well” (Vincent). Both books combine illustrations with a small amount of text, mostly dialogue. As with Mackesy’s book, the Pooh books quickly picked up an adult readership, although they followed the model of children’s books. A similar social context may explain this: The first Pooh book was published in 1926, when “people were back from the cataclysm of war, and what was needed was literature that was safe and comforting” (Vincent).

The boy, near the same age and stage of development as Milne’s Christopher Robin, and his talking animal friends have different personalities and quirks, like Pooh, Rabbit, Owl, and Kanga. The boy and his friends also offer a level of support and acceptance of one another that is reminiscent of Pooh’s group. Perhaps most notable is the fox, who initially threatens violence and later admits to suffering from crippling self-doubt. Likewise, Rabbit often loses his temper and Eeyore is always glum, but both are accepted by their group and never expected to change. They are loved as they are, just as the boy accepts the mole’s difficulty in expressing his love and the horse welcomes the fox’s presence, regardless of his silence. 

Another similar narrative is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908). This story, drawn from the bedtime stories that Grahame told his young son, focuses on the interactions of a group of animal friends. In 1939, an illustrated edition was produced with drawings by E. H. Shepard, who had illustrated Milne’s Pooh books; this edition with its drawings has become the most popular version in modern times and is a likely influence on The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. As in Mackesy’s work, the cast of Grahame’s characters are a combination of animals and humans, focusing on a message of difference, acceptance, and teamwork. Like Mackesy’s boy, Grahame’s protagonist, Mole—or “Moley”—is on a journey or quest and gathers friends on the way, although he also longs for home.

The deliberate childlike simplicity of these narratives, and the wisdom-in-innocence style of their messaging and characterizations are strikingly similar. Unlike many texts that appeal to a sense of irony or sophistication in adult readers, they are not allegorical, like The Little Prince, nor satirical, like Dr. Seuss’s Star Bellied Sneetches or The Butter Battle Book. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse does not address a particular economic, social, or political problem but speaks of a human desire for love and acceptance, as expressed through the simple acts of kindness and friendship of a small group of characters.