Black Beauty
1877
- black beauty
- anna sewell
- original publication 1877
- 19th century
- children
- children's
- kids
- juvenile
- classic
- fiction
The story
(Ages 9-12, Gr. 4-7) An **animal rights classic** that's also an engaging read, **BLACK BEAUTY follows the life of an ebony horse from birth to old age**, and from pasture to the cobblestone streets of **19th century England** This morality tale and **animal "autobiography"** gives a sweet and kind horse **a voice that's relatable yet unsentimental.**. Black Beauty's life begins on the grounds of an aristocratic English family. The **young horse learns early lessons from his mother like how not to bite or kick even in play** before circumstances force his sale to a new master; it's the first of several such sales/moves for the horse. As **his life intersects with different human owners, caretakers, and neighbors**, Black Beauty **experiences different kinds of care and abuse**, and he observes the **differing attitudes of humans toward horses.** Peppered throughout the novel are the **moral lessons** that the author, **Anna Sewell **who is the author**, wants to impart to her readers:** that **truly good humans are kind to all of God's creatures,** that **parents should teach their children to be kind to animals,** and perhaps most important, that **even though they can't speak, horses can feel so that makes this fiction/fake.** Anna Sewell was a devout Quaker, and that is apparent in her pacifist point of view, and in the book's **emphasis on the value of hard work without complaint.** **strong text** author: a person who wrote the book
What it’s like
Plain, unhurried prose in the first person of a horse, with the feel of a sensible Victorian parlour: a kind voice that observes stables, country lanes and busy city streets with gentle, practical eyes. The mood is earnest and warm rather than lush; scenes of pasture, harness and cobblestone are rendered in clear domestic detail, with weather, straw, bridles and the rhythm of hooves carrying the sensory world. Pacing is episodic and steady, moving from one master to the next, so it suits a slow afternoon, a bedtime read, or a quiet reading-aloud session. Its emotional register is tender and moralising, with a reliable hope that kindness wins out. Intensity is moderate: there are whippings, harsh bits, overwork and a few deaths of horses, described plainly without gore, and the cruelty lands as sorrow and injustice rather than horror. It is gentle in tone but not sugary. Written for younger readers and for adults who love a sincere old-fashioned animal story about compassion, hard work and the dignity of ordinary creatures.
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