Flip is a story written and illustrated by Wesley Dennis. I think the story’s style could well be described as “magical realism” and is thus an apt addition to any young child’s library of stories. Wesley Dennis turns out to be probably the foremost illustrator of horses in children’s literature. He drew the pictures for Anna Sewall’s Black Beauty and all of Marguerite Henry’s books including, Misty of Chincoteague, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, All About Horses, and Stormy, Misty’s Foal! The illustrations are masterworks of kinetic energy and expressive feeling. The story captures childhood longing, dreams, physical and mental effort, practice and the importance of not giving up before the good stuff starts to happen.
Am I the only one who comments 😉? Flip was one of my favorite childhood books, and I st8ll have my original copy. As I work with children at the age where they are still figuring out reality from fantasy, it is always interesting to see if the children get that Flip is dreaming.