One Horse Farm

A quality paperback reissue of the beloved 1950s classic from the renowned American artist

"…delivers a perfect example of Ipcar's timeless illustrations, their exquisite palette, quietly expressive figures and sublime backdrops…an absorbing visual narrative… One Horse Farm exemplifies Ipcar's particular genius…" – Publishers Weekly, 2017

A baby and a foal are born on the farm, on the very same day. Together Johnny and Big Betty grow up learning to work through all the farm's seasons, planting, plowing, mowing, cow herding, and ice cutting. But Betty grows quickly and Johnny grows slowly. By the time Johnny is a young man, Betty is an old horse. When Johnny realizes it's time to replace Betty with a tractor, he must decided what to do with his beloved horse.

One Horse Farm, first published in 1950, tells the story of a boy and a horse who grow up together on a farm and watch the world change around them. It's a book that comes from the heart for legendary Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar, who lived on a farm in Georgetown, Maine, for more than 70 years. "It was the life I lived," she said.

In a career spanning more than 80 years, Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar (1917-2017) wrote and illustrated more than 30 children's and young adult books, starting with The Little Fisherman (by Margaret Wise Brown) in 1945 and including The Cat at Night and My Wonderful Christmas Tree. Ipcar was born in Vermont and raised in Greenwich Village. She summered in Maine after her parents (the famed sculptor William Zorach and artist Marguerite Zorach) bought a farm on Georgetown Island in 1923. In 1935, 18-year-old Dahlov, an aspiring artist, married Adolph Ipcar. The young couple left New York City in 1937 to live on the Maine farm where they had first met. By the early 1940s, Ipcar had nearly given up thoughts of writing and illustrating books, when she was contacted by a New York publisher to illustrate The Little Fisherman. She jumped at the chance, and this charming title helped launch a prolific career.