Ebury donates 450 copies of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story to libraries

Ebury, a division of Penguin Random House, has donated 450 copies of Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story to 150 libraries across the UK as part of a campaign to support local communities and libraries.

The books will be accompanied by posters and postcards to place around the libraries for visitors to share and enjoy. The Animated Story, published in November 2022, has, according to the publisher, sold over 168,000 copies in the UK and been translated into 20 languages.

It accompanied the BAFTA-winning animation “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” which premiered over Christmas on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and Apple TV internationally, starring Tom Hollander as "the mole", Idris Elba OBE as "the fox", Gabriel Byrne as "the horse" and newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll as "the boy". The animation has also been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short.

David McLeod of Culture Perth and Kinross Libraries, who received the bundle of books, posters and postcards, said: “Culture Perth and Kinross Libraries were delighted to receive 16 copies of Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: The Animated Story from Penguin Random House to share with our library customers.

“The book has touched many across the world and it gives us great pleasure to be able to add a copy to all our service points. Sharing stories is what libraries across the country aim to do and this title is a wonderful addition to our collections."