Always Remember

Always Remember, Charlie Mackesy. Penguin Life (ISBN: 9780593994825) 2025.

Summary: The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse continue their journey together and learn what it takes to get through storms.

The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse are back! For those who loved the quill-written and illustrated story of four creatures who discover the beauty of mutual love, kindness to oneself, and the joys of cake, the journey continues! While they don’t know where they are going, they are not lost because they have each other.

The new element in this story is the storm and how one gets through. So much is remembering to take the next step, that love is stronger, and that the sky is always blue above the storm clouds. A crisis comes when the boy falls behind the other three. Was he at fault? Or were they? The turning point comes when he remembers who he is, that he is loved. He decides in their absence to be a friend to himself and to love himself. And then, one by one, the friends reappear. And the boy confesses another lesson: “When we are vulnerable to each other,” whispered the boy… “We are strong.” And the best thing about storms is that they end.

Throughout, the boy struggles with his own sense of inadequacy. He’s not good at anything, but he is kind, which is everything and he doesn’t give up. He discovers from mole that the answer to many of his questions is cake. And when the storm is inside, he can take shelter with his friends.

Beyond all this, Mackesy explores bravery. Sometimes bravery is admitting one doesn’t feel very brave. Sometimes it is taking the next step, or even the next breath. Then, for mole, it is fighting off a cake ambush by eating it! Most of all, bravery is the courage to love.

Mackesy mixes rough sketches with finely rendered paintings. The one that I thought the most beautiful renders a river valley in soft but lush colors with the four in the foreground. Mole says this is one of his favorite places. The boy asks, “Because it is so beautiful?” Mole replies, “Because we are all here.” I just stopped and savored that beautiful moment with them.

Mackesy would have us “always remember” that we are loved, to be gentle and kind both to others and ourselves, and the gift of friendship. But he presses into the harder side of the human journey–storms and aloneness–and how we make it through.

This is a wonderful gift for all ages and a story families will cherish together. Be kind both to yourself and to others and buy a few this holiday season!