This was adorable! The illustrations were super cute and the mole "doing his thing" was hilarious. I don't like the fact that it just ends and there really wasn't a solution to everyone's problems.

Ok, so this book might seem a bit off at first glance...
A mole does whatever he pleases, without regard for others or his surroundings and wonders why someone (the rocks) might take issue with that. He doesn't really learn a lesson and there is no character development.
It definitely isn't a book I would hand to a young, new reader and walk away.
However, as an educator I see a huge learning opportunity. On my first read through I immediately thought of how I could use it to talk to my kiddos about mindfulness, awareness, living in society with others, cause and effect, the environment and our role in protecting it... SOO many opportunities! Therefore I will use it to build a lesson around it, and I am confident my audience will enjoy the story and illustrations.

Delightful! All mole wants to do is go outside and enjoy, but things don't want him digging everywhere. Lots of things in here for parents to discuss with kids as they read to them. Loved the story! I also love the colors and simplicity of the illustrations!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

The three words I would use to describe this book are: adorable, charming, and funny. A Mole is stuck in his hole because the grumpy rocks won't let him out! He is not super self aware, but that just adds to the delight.

😭 Why is this storybook so cute?!

I cannot handle this!

The storybook tells the audience about what a mole does.

But it's the illustrations that stood out. It's heart-breaking cute and eye-popping!

Thank you, authors and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.

The way we see ourselves does not coincide with the way others see us. We all know that we cannot be liked by everyone and it depends on one person to another how much the opinion of those around us matters about us.
There are things we hide from others consciously, because it is so polite or because we do not want them to be found out. There are also things that we unconsciously hide from ourselves, such as fears and complexes.
I adored the little story and this can be used to point out some behaviors not only to children but to adults as well.

Children's story about a mole that wants to come above ground but is thwarted by the rocks above. Unusual story line that some may enjoy. Perhaps kids would enjoy the tale but I kept finding it bizarre, especially that there are two times where the mole does number 2 while in a tree. Cute illustrations, simply story. I like that the mole has a grub friend, I suppose that the rocks don't like the mole because he soils them and poops on them?

This was a cute book, and a great example of how words and pictures can tell two different sides of the same story. On one hand, the story of a lonesome mole who innocently wants to explore the above ground world. On the other, the story of a group of rocks who band together to fight off a being of pure destruction. It would have been nice to see the mole recognize and correct his behavior, but as is this is still a funny story that children will enjoy.

Oh poor little Mole! This simple but well told and gorgeously illustrated story will appeal to young children and they will be rooting for Mole to find a way to get out of his hole. This is a great read aloud story with definite 'cute' appeal.

with thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for such a lovely read.

The Mole and the Hole is such a cute book! I am excited to read this to my 2nd graders. I have no doubt they'll be laughing and smiling and begging me to reread it. I'd love if there was a little more obvious of a plot/ lesson to it - maybe a little more about grit/ having a growth mindset, but I think we can steer kids in that direction. I loved the illustrations as well.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mole and the Hole is a fantastic book to teach children perspective-taking! In the book, our friend, the mole does not understand why others don't like him even though he's just minding his own business. He does not see the mess he leaves behind. Full of easy to understand language and elementary humor, this book would be great in any classroom or skills group.

This book about a mole who lacks self-awareness was quite funny and well illustrated, (the mole's outfit is fabulous.) The only reason I didn't rate it higher was because it felt unfinished to me. The humour did a great job of building up the story, but the book lacked an opportunity to incite discussion about what the mole was doing wrong, what he could have done better, etc. The other characters in the book never even brought up how his behaviour affected them, and instead just tried to trap him-- which didn't solve anything. Even if the story stayed the same, it might have been good to have discussion questions listed at the end, so readers/listeners can learn from the behaviour illustrated in this book.

Cute book with adorable Illustrations. The plot wasn’t particularly poignant but it’s a kids book! Kids will enjoy this one because it is funny and adults can do lots of fun voices for the different characters.

I enjoyed the premise of this book. The more is stuck underground because he is an awful neighbor to the rocks. You would think this would lead to a moral lesson. But you were left disappointed by the end. There is no actual theme to this book. It’s basically telling you to be awful and not care about anyone else.

This picture book has beautiful illustrations throughout. The story has features I'm sure kids would like, bears, tricks and of course poo. A nice enjoyable picture book.

The Mole and the Hole is a fun children's book with wonderful illustrations. The story follows Mole, who is being kept underground by angry rocks. We learn that they are mad at Mole because his behavior is so disruptive. I wish the moral is spelled out, but parents can discuss the mole's behavior with the child. I think children will like this one as it is very entertaining and even has some crude humor!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

Oh my goodness, the artwork in this book is absolutely P R E C I O U S. I loved every single page. Poor little Mole wanting to get out of his hole, only to be thwarted by the rocks! So, so cute! Definitely recommended for little kids!

Ehhh not my favorite kids book I’ve read. The plot was a little lackluster, and I wish the Mole and Rocks had a conversation about what was bothering the rocks instead of just passing it off the the flowers.

I did love the art style though, really gorgeous, fun illustrations!

So the story is about a mole that is not nice to his environment. The main character is dressed like a leather daddy for some reason, and thinks pooping anywhere is perfectly fine.

I suppose the point of this is that if you poop on things, like rocks, they won't like you?

I'm not quite sure, because the mole goes on to live another day, and the rocks and sunflowers and fish all resent him, and that's the end.

So, no, not the best picture book on the planet, but it has poop in it, and some kids love to read about poop, so there is that.

<em> Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

A fun look at the consequences of what we do, and of how we ignore them at our peril. Mole has been used to a free and easy life, but that's not an option right now. Yes, he used to love sunbathing on the rocks, kicking his mud onto the rocks, dropping his poo on the rocks – is it any wonder they're blocking him in in his tunnel? Strong moral, good artistic sense (this looks mucky, even when it's being bright and breezy), and of course poo – what else could a young reader wish for? You could call it dollops of fun – for one read at least. I'd call it a strong four stars, and a fine debut.