‘The Chronicles of the White Horse was an unexpected discovery, a beautifully crafted piece of writing, composed with care and affection. A story that springs from the author’s own sense of the strength and rightness of the ways of the natural world, the land, its creatures and its seasons. It is both a fantasy and a philosophy.

Conventionally the magical adventures of a small boy who becomes a wise mole’s apprentice in a fight against shadowy terrors would be a book for under-tens, but Please writes at his own pace, one best savoured by older readers willing to linger over subtleties before the real excitement of the climax. For them, it’s pleasure all the way, from the portrayal of the ancient downscape of the Ridgeway and the White Horse to the little song surprises that pop up throughout the book.

These bring a new dimension to the work for a child or an adult; set to Please’s own music – sometimes echoing country sounds like the wind, some jolly, some loving, some scary – the songs have been engagingly recorded by English and Irish musicians.

The combined package displays an unusual, attractive and original talent.’

The Guardian shortlisted the book for a Commonwealth Literature Award