Sharon Lerner

#1

(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