- Picture Books
- Ages 6–12
- Fables

Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm
Book 2 of 2 in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the HorseView the full series
A reflective follow-up that returns to Mackesy's four friends as they face an emotional and literal storm. Best for readers who loved the first book's quiet wisdom and want something equally giftable, comforting and thoughtful.
- Best for6–12
- FormatPicture
- Length128 pp
- Read aloud~26 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Gentle
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Thought provoking
- Inspirational
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse are wandering through the wilds again, unsure exactly what they are searching for but certain of their love for one another. When dark clouds gather, the book turns its attention to storms: the weather outside, the difficulty inside, and the remembered truths that can help someone keep going. Like the first book, this is not a conventional narrative picture book so much as an illustrated fable made from spare conversations, handwritten lines and expressive ink-and-watercolour images. The emotional centre is resilience: remembering that hard times pass, that friendship matters, and that small comforts can become anchors. It will suit families who want a quiet, reassuring read, especially for children who respond to visual beauty, gentle wisdom and books that open up conversations about worry, courage and love.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 6–12
- Read aloud · 5–12
- Independent · 7–14
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Thoughtful gift
- Quiet reading
- Sensitive readers
- Comforting books
- Beautiful art
Avoid if
- Wants strong plot
- Prefers fast pacing
- Dislikes aphorisms
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anxiety and worry
- Low self esteem
- Making friends
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A gentle, quotable book of comfort and kindness — a strong wellbeing and PSHE text about resilience, anxiety and looking after each other.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific feeling is being told it'll be okay — the four friends walking through a storm, exchanging small things to remember when life gets hard. Not a story so much as a collection of comforting lines, drawn in a hand a child can imagine making themselves. The book to dip into when something is wobbly.
- Animal companions
- Friendship and belonging
- Having a wise mentor
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The follow-up to the original Boy/Mole/Fox/Horse — same hand-drawn warmth, same compass of small wisdoms. The book to gift a child going through a hard time or graduating to anything new, where you'd like something to say without quite knowing the words. Reads as a comfort object as much as a book.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
- Bedtime appropriate
In the series
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
2 books · open the series →
About the author
Charlie Mackesy.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →