Black Beauty

October 10, 2016
In a brisk adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 animal story, Black Beauty recounts his early life on a farm and the accident that leads him to become a work horse in London, where he is abused by his masters. Brown illustrates in a rich, pastoral style, capturing pivotal events that include a frightening barn fire and Black Beauty’s collapse on cobblestone streets. Though Brown’s adaptation moves quickly through the horse’s many travails, her injuries and mistreatments still strike their intended emotional chords, making her eventual reunion with the kindly groom Joe Green in the bucolic final pages feel very well-deserved. Ages 4–9.

payton1403 - The captivating classic, Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell, was the very first book ever written from a horse’s perspective. Created in the 1800 hundred’s, Black Beauty is still being read and cherished centuries beyond. The genre is realistic fiction, classic literature, and historical fiction (if you were to be reading it far past the day it was written). With clear writing and lots of action, Black Beauty is nothing under a 10/10. He was born as “Darkie”, on a small farm in England, in the country. After maturing, he received the name Black Beauty. His mother taught him how to please an owner and carry class. She never told him much about her, so later on, he regretted not knowing her well enough. For example, the book says that “...old Duchess was the mother of them both.” That meant that the horse killed in a hunting accident was a secret brother to Black Beauty and that Duchess kept it a secret from her son. Some of the main characters are Merrylegs, Ginger, and Duchess. Merrylegs is described the most as a “...grey horse with a thick body, and a favorite of the family.” Merrylegs is a very special character and influence to Black Beauty because when he losses his mom, he teaches him important life lessons. The whole structure if Black Beauty is a life that faces the hardest times, but keeps preserving to find his way back home. Also, a similar story from an animal's perspective is a Dog’s Purpose. That book is about a dog’s life journey and why the way he is. The type of person interested in this book would be someone with a passion for animals and a taste in adventure. This a very good book that doesn't just have words written of two hundred and something pages. It has meaning.