We never grow out of picture books
And here is a book that shows why
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Kind,” said the boy.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
David Weisner, the author of ‘Free Fall’ said, “Before they read words, children are reading pictures.” Reading your two years old their favourite picture book might be one of the many beautiful memories you can make as a parent.
But why do we read picture books to our children?
It is true that picture books helps to strengthen the bond between parents and children. Picture books are easy way to make them familiar with book even before they start their ABCDs.
But it also to helps them to identify emotions that are hard to express through words, like colors, certain gestures, a frown, a dubious smile, a wide cackle, etc. The unique combination of words and images help to stimulate imagination, engages the child’s attention and helps them to find meaning through gestures and sounds.
The stories we tell, allows their little minds to explode with imageries of animals, people and magic. And they carry these stories with them even after they grow up.
What happens when you grow up?
A lot changes when we grow up. The sound of playground gets replaced by constant tapping of keyboard. Our life, stiched through a strict scedule as our mind slowly loses imagination. Life becomes a constant juggle between desires and responsibilities. Each gray hair is another nail grounding our minds in harsh reality.
Somewhere along the way, as we grow up, words like love, hope, kindness become mere ideals only. It’s a long journey so we end up losing a lot of things, mostly we lose ourselves.
A book for the ones who are lost.
Intro:
Growing up means losing our fairy tales, losing our little toy cars and doctor sets, our initial values, hope, bonds and the habit of sharing our joy and sorrows as the adult world introduces us to the selfishness of human kind. And we sit and wonder how life was, at the time when we did not feel so purposeless, so lost.
Plot:
‘The Boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’ is a graphic novel written and illustrated by author Charlie Mackesy. The curtains fall and we see a little boy lost in a snow-covered forest, looking for a way back home.
We never know his name as his name is not important. The boy is nameless as he can represent any of us, you, me, all of us warmth-seekers. It does not matter how he got there; the matter is that he is lost.
Given up, we see him cry, a vast whiteness surrounding him from all direction. That is when he meets his first little friend, a mole. A brave mole who decides to reach the crying boy simply out of kindness. And throughout the whole journey the boy finds two more companions, a very grateful fox who had been hurt in the past and a big horse with an equally giant heart.
My views:
To me, the story felt like a hug, warm, comforting and safe. I have spent hours on social media, news channels, reading and listening of the doom of human morals and values. It reminded me of my childhood when I used to ask my mother why I must be kind to those kids at school whom I don’t even like. I remember her smiling back then and saying, “because you should”.
We must be kind because it takes a lot to be kind, it takes courage, it takes strength.
Kind is the least anyone can be. It is the only way to make this life less lonely.
“Nothing beats kindness,’ said the horse. ‘It sits quietly beyond all things.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
And we must not wait for life to rain kindness on us but spare some kindness for ourselves.
“We often wait for kindness…but being kind to yourself can start now.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Walking on thorns may be painful, intolerable at times, but as long as you are alive there will always be flowers. Be grateful for being alive, that you can still pick flowers.
We are all looking for a home but the home that we seek is not always a place, most of the time, it is the people who give us warmth.
Home is everything that makes us feel loved.
“When things get difficult remember who you are.’
‘Who am I?’ asked the boy.
‘You are loved,’ said the horse.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Beautiful pictures shaped out of scribbles, ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’ is one of the many picture books that have been made for anyone from the age of 8 to 80, for anyone who is searching for their home.
We never grow out of picture books.
