• Age: 4 to 9
• Grade: p to 3
• Reading age: 7 to 8

Black Beauty's story improved the lives of horses all over the world. Seen through his own eyes, young horse lovers will be swept up in his incredible journey from a peaceful paddock to the streets of London. No matter what he encounters, nothing can break Black Beauty's spirit.

Anna Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, on March 30, 1820. Brought up in a strict Quaker family, Anna developed a strong interest in horses as a young girl. But a crippling bone disease and a fall in 1834 left her an invalid for most of her life. By her mid-thirties she was severely lame and could only get around in a pony cart, and characteristically she would never use a whip on the animal. In 1871, she was told she had eighteen months to live, and by the end of that year, she had begun her book, Black Beauty, hoping it might make people a little kinder to their faithful horses. Although she was seriously ill, she lived long enough to finish her book and see it published in 1877. On April 25, 1878, she died at her home in Old Catton near Norwich, England. Black Beauty, an enormous success from its first appearance, was soon adopted by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and used to improve the conditions of horses everywhere.

Anna Sewell's profile page

Ruth Brown is the creator of some of Britain's best-loved children's books. Her prizes include the Earthworm Award, English Association Award, the Prix Sorciére and three Kate Greenaway Medal shortlistings. She is married to artist Ken Brown, and they have two grown sons and two grandchildren.

Ruth Brown's profile page

"This retelling joins several other picture book versions. It begins with a short foreword explaining the intent and impact of Sewell's work. Brown touches on major points from the original and maintains the horse's perspective. The story starts with Black Beauty following his mother's advice and trusting his instincts to save his stablemate, Ginger, from a fire and his master from a flooded bridge. In broad strokes, Brown covers the protagonist's life as a carriage horse, cab horse, and workhorse and concludes with the animal's reunion with his favorite groom. In keeping with the original, Black Beauty's cruel treatment is evident in the text and illustrations, but Brown omits gritty details, and the harsher aspects are balanced by happier times. The traditional, watercolor-style illustrations not only do justice to the narration but enliven it as well. The use of light and dark enhances the mood, and the artist gives her human and animal characters expressive faces. An afterword offers a quick overview of Sewell's life. VERDICT: A good introduction to a classic, perfect for classroom reading and storytimes with older children. Pair it with Peter Parnall's Stuffer and Mônica Carnesi's Little Lost Dog for animal tales with happy endings."—School Library Journal

Journal

"As a colt, Black Beauty learns that trusting his instincts is more important than obedience, a lesson that serves him well during a stable fire, when he allows a groom to lead him to safety and, one stormy night, when he refuses to cross a damaged bridge. Some of his owners are kind and others cruel, but in the end he finds a good home. Narrated by a horse in Victorian England and first published in 1887 in hopes of bringing about reform in the treatment of horses, Sewell's Black Beauty was a success by any measure. Like Sharon Lerner's picture-book version of Black Beauty (2009), illustrated by Susan Jeffers, this version features a story pared down to the essentials and illustrations that communicate the drama and pathos in ways that are accessible to younger children. Brown, a writer/illustrator whose previous animal stories include Greyfriars Bobby (2014) and Gracie, the Lighthouse Cat (2011), draws people and horses with equal facility, grace, and expression. A satisfying picture book for young horse fans."—Booklist

Journal

"The classic story retold in an abbreviated picture-book version. Sewell's original Black Beauty, first published in 1877, tells the story of a carriage horse's life from the horse's point of view. The impact of the original lies in Black Beauty's heart-rending narration as he describes his life as a work animal, often suffering due to the neglect and, in some cases, deliberate cruelty of his various owners. While Brown's retelling retains Black Beauty as narrator and stays true to the main plot points of the original story, the emotional tug is missing, and it reads rather like a dispassionate summary. To be fair, it is hard to see how pathos—the essential strength of Sewell's original—could be generated in the succinct, 32-page format. Brown's superb illustrations, however, more than carry their weight. Each double-page spread illuminates the setting of 19th-century England and gives the story an ambiance and luxuriousness that the spare text lacks. The faux marbled endpapers are a nice period touch, as is the information about Sewell included on the endpapers. It would be rare for a story that depends so thoroughly on establishing empathetic connection to succeed as a picture-book adaptation, and this one doesn't, but the illustrations provide such a sumptuous visual feast that it is most assuredly worth perusing."—Kirkus Reviews

Journal

"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."—Publishers Weekly

Journal