15 September 2020
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The Weekly Peponi School
Headmaster’s Assembly One of the huge benefits of the long holiday is that it presents plenty of opportunity to read. Over this holiday I managed to get through plenty of novels – some new, some classics, some good and some dreadful. One of them stood out slightly; it did so because it was different. Charlie Mackesy’s book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse sold over one million copies in the UK and USA. It was a book full of illustrations and very little writing. I was recommended it by a friend and when I picked it up, I did so with some condescension. It looked like a book written for children. To my surprise I found myself tearing up and felt some considerable emotion as I turned the pages. The story is easy - First there is a boy. He is alone. He comes upon a mole, whom it seems loves cake more than anything else. The mole becomes the boy’s friend and companion, his coach and confidante. The boy shares his fears, the mole shares advice and his love of cake. When they meet the fox, it is caught in a snare. Instinctively both the fox and the mole know if the mole frees the fox, the fox should then kill it, but if the mole leaves the fox in the snare, it will die. Sometimes you can override your instincts, and the fox becomes a (mostly silent) companion on their wanderings. Then they meet the horse, who has hidden some of its special abilities for far too long. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse isn’t as much a story as it is a book of advice, encouragement, and lessons accompanied by whimsical hand-drawn illustrations. The advice and lessons are beautiful and meaningful, and the entire book is a genuinely heartfelt experience. Not only was it a publishing sensation, it turned out to be a remarkably prophetic book. For in his simple pen-and-ink drawings about finding compassion in companionship, Charlie Mackesy unknowingly predicted the emotions which would be felt by so many during the pandemic of 2020. Phrases like: “this storm will pass”, “life is difficult, but you are loved” and “Everyone is a bit scared, but we are less scared together,” are just some of the gentle musings that have resonated for so many, over recent months.
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