Don't miss this one: The True Story of Zippy Chippy: The Little Horse That Couldn't

 Author Artie Bennett creates picture books that spotlight kid-magnet topics. Many of his offerings have garnered stars and praise from adults, too, including BELCHES, BURPS, and FARTS,Oh, My!, as well as   POOPENDOUS, and THE BUTT BOOK. Bennett's latest release offers yet another offbeat nonfiction picture book by introducing readers to a record-holding LOSER, The TRUE STORY OF ZIPPY CHIPPY, THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULDN'T.

NORTH-SOUTH Books, 2020

It's a fact that everybody seems to love a winner. Zippy Chippy is delightfully brought to life on the page by illustrator Dave Szalay. I began reading with the assumption that this bright-eyed progeny of a long line of champions would, sooner or later, win at least one race. It's only a minor spoiler alert to reveal my mistake.  

Eventually win? NOPE. No WAY.  Unlike THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, Zippy did not win, even once, before retiring after his very long racing career. 

 In fact, that "100" pictured on Zippy's wreath and ribbon are a reference to his record in The Guiness Book of Records- a thoroughbred horse who managed to run in one hundred authorized races without EVER winning. He won his  place in the record books by LOSING! (Be sure to check the closing notes for an ironic twist on THAT win, too.)

I can be excused from my mistaken notion because the  opening endpapers  supported my assumptions, featuring trophies and ribbons. The author's informative back matter clarifies Zippy's lifetime record and current status, along with a series of other facts about Zippy that I found to be every bit as entertaining as the main text.

The fun of this book for me, and I suspect will offer the strongest appeal for other readers of any age, was getting to know one truly unique horse with personality to spare. It's not as if he lacked the ABILITY to win, as he occasionally demonstrated in some second and third place finishes. He simply had a mind of his own. He was born to "do his own thing" and apparently  had no sense of obligation to his championship lineage, stretching all the way back to Man O' War! (Take a look at that magnificent, original "Big Red" champion HERE.)

A thoroughbred is not cheap to keep, though, and Zippy's quirky, stubborn, losing patterns had him headed to a glue factory or meat packing plant when a shrewd-eyed and big hearted horse trainer, Felix Monserrate, traded a VERY old pick-up truck for Zippy Chippy. This Puerto Rican horse trainer was no fool and he saw Zippy's potential. The story of what happens next unfolds with humor and charm, revealing that Zippy felt no sense of obligation to his rescuer. The author makes it clear that this horse had wit and willfulness, a big heart and equally big stubborn streak. 

I'm not sure I've ever met a kid who does not love horses and books about horses. it's rare, though, that books depicting horses, in fact or fiction, suggest anything less than valiant or glorious lives, or at the very least, hard-working or even tragic personalities. In this case, though, Zippy Chippy's quirky personality and sassy self-satisfaction, combined with his  insistence on having things his own way, will win the hearts of readers. Felix, too, is a hero for seeking out the best in Zippy and devoting himself to his life, despite the financial and other costs along the way. 

And that, to my mind, is a win that's more memorable than any sweepstakes trophy. 

If you love this horse as much as I do, be sure to read those back pages to get "the rest of the story". 

I received a copy of this book from he author with no promise of a review. 

Covid19 anchor in time:

it is 161 days since COVID19 resulted in the sudden closing of this country and most of the world. What has happened since then has involved reopening, testing, tracking, protecting, and confronting the artificially constructed debate about the value of wearing masks. It has also led to our current stressful debates about how schools should resume. Maybe we should be viewing this quirky year of 2020 as a one-of-a-kind challenge that is as unpredictable, irritating, and difficult to manage as Zippy Chippy, but with some hidden virtues that are worth exploring.