This is a truly laugh-out-loud biography of one of history's losing-est racehorses. I'm sorry we didn't encounter this book a few years ago when we could have arranged a visit to Zippy in his retirement near Saratoga Springs! ( )

While horse lovers will enjoy this one, it's a story which reaches across the board and inspires with a humorous and important twist.

Zippy Chippy was born to be a race horse with a stellular background and physical capability to match the best. But he always came in last, and sometimes, never left the gate. After loosing many races, his trainer decided to sell him. Despite Zippy Chippy's horrible record, he found a new trainer, who was convinced he could make Zippy Chippy a winner. But things ran in a very unexpected direction.

This is the true tale about Zippy Chippy, and it's one that guarantees a smile. Zippy Chippy is chucked full of personality. It's a wonderful, bitter-sweet tale, which touches the heart in a humorful and somewhat sad, yearnful way. And yet, there's a type of triumph that leaves the reader wishing they could meet Zippy Chippy themselves...and maybe root for him or share a peppermint candy.

While a picture book, the text also works well for readers who are getting more comfortable with their skills. There are a couple 'tougher' vocabulary words, and these make it perfect to expand word knowledge without becoming overwhelming. It also works, of course, as a read aloud, and as such will no doubt become one that will need to be read more than once. (It's one of those books that can expect an 'again'. And an 'again'. And an 'again'.)

The illustrations bring out Zippy Chippy's personality very well and make him hard not to love, and the message isn't one which a reader would usually expect. It's better. In any case, it leaves good feelings, inspiration, and the knowledge that everyone is special in their own way. It's the sort of tale that a reader/listener won't easily forget even in years to come.

I received a complimentary copy and was surprised how Zippy Chippy became one of my new, favorite horses. ( )

Because I'm familiar with the story of this real-life racehorse, I was interested in seeing what this book was like. I am very pleased with the results--it's an adorably charming picture book version of Zippy's life as a "lovable loser," never winning any of his 100 races (coming in 2nd or 3rd a few times though), but just happy to be on the track. I loved the artwork, it fit perfectly with the humorous tone of the text, being kind of cartoony but also kind of realistic (the horses really look like horses, that sort of thing). We learn that Zippy often just stood still in the starting gate when the race started, or took his time galloping around leisurely; he has a huge sweet tooth for cakes and baked goods; he played hide and seek with the young daughter of his trainer; and his owner tried to retire him after he'd run 80 races but Zippy got depressed and refused to eat, until he was back on the track again! And he built up a huge fan following who always cheered him on and bet him to win, no matter what. Now he's 29 and lives happily at the New York branch of the Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement farm. This is a cute story for kids about being an underdog and that's okay, as long as you love what you do. And the illustrator is local to my area, so that was a cool thing to learn; I got to meet him and have him sign my copy. ( )

I read The True Story of Zippy Chippy to my 6-year-old daughter, and she was delighted at Zippy's story. Zippy was one of the best horses at losing -- so much that he gained fans for it.

The story will work best as a read-aloud or partner read, as some of the vocabulary and sentence structures might be challenging for newer readers. The illustrations were cute.

Readers who enjoy non-fiction with humorous animal characters might enjoy reading about Chippy.

The extensive author's note at the end reveals some info that I wish was included in the main story, such as how Zippy did sometimes race and even place.

Thanks to Netgalley and North South Books for my digital copy in exchange for a review. ( )