The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

What linguistic devices does Mackesy use to challenge the reader’s perceptions and assumptions about the meaning and purpose of life? You might observe paradoxes, oxymorons, double meanings, subversion, or parallelism, among others.

What does it mean to be a good friend, according to the text? What qualities does a good friend have? What specific actions or behaviors do true friends display?

The book emphasizes the importance of relying on others. In what ways does it also explore the dangers of this approach?

How do the characters and text present perfection as illusory? Why do you think this idea is important to the book’s key themes?

How does the book address fear? Analyze the characters’ discussion of fear and consider how the illustrations also create a sense of fear, threat, safety, or comfort.

Do you think the book’s overall message supports the mole’s statement that the freedom to choose our reactions is one of our greatest freedoms? Substantiate your argument with evidence from the book.

Consider the mole’s obsession with cake, the boy’s falling from the horse, and the horse’s ability to fly as symbols. What might their meanings be and why do you think this?

Before they meet the horse, the three friends sit under the night sky, and one of them says, “So much beauty we need to look after” (33). What do you think this statement refers to? What is it about the book that makes you reach this conclusion?