There are seasons when life feels like a contradiction. When the light shines its brightest, yet the shadows feel their darkest. Charlie Macassie knows that place well. He's a celebrated author and illustrator who rose to prominence through his

best-selling book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, which is sold over 10 million

copies worldwide, spent 152 weeks on the Sunday Times nonfiction bestseller list, and has been

translated into more than 40 languages. In 2022, the book was adapted

into an Oscar-winning animated film that touched hearts around the world. And now he is sharing

a new chapter with his follow-up book called Always Remember. Charlie's illustrations are

beautifully gentle, a striking contrast to the grief,

anxiety, and the space between hope and heartache that he's navigated since his childhood

in the English countryside. In recent years, he's grappled with the beauty of unimaginable success

and the weight of heartbreak that never fully leaves, making his perspective

on humanity rare, honest, and deeply moving. In our conversation, Charlie opens up about how

drawing has sustained him, what he's learned from watching and sketching people all around the world,

and how he finds peace in the messiest moments. He reminds us that no matter how

heavy life can feel, beauty can still break through. I'm Hoda Kotby and this is my podcast, Making Space.

First of all, Charlie, I'm just happy to be sitting with you.

Thank you.

It's our first time in person, which is a thrill for me.

This book is another, wow.

It's in New York Times.

It keeps hitting and hitting and hitting, which means people keep receiving and receiving and receiving how does that feel like for you to put something into

the world were you wondering are people still going to want this sort of thing i mean i was wondering

yeah definitely um and i made it in a difficult time.

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