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May 03, 2011

Susan rated it:

This is the first book I ever read. I remember the day that I brought it in to show to my teacher, Miss Gerardi. She asked me if I could read it, so I started reading it aloud to her right away.

The story is told in Black Beauty's own words. Beauty's friends are hard to forget, especially high-spirited Ginger. Anna Sewall's words are full of loving empathy for these beautiful animals. The story was set in 19th century England, at a time when almost everyone came into frequent c More...

2 comments like (10 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2007

Lisa rated it:

This book probably deserves 5 stars or at least 4, and I do recommend it to everyone, especially to girls who love horses. I’m giving it only 3 stars, however, not because I wasn’t one of those girls who were big horse fans (which I wasn’t really), but because for me it was just too emotionally harrowing. This might have been the first book I ever read that made me sick with depression. The horse goes through a lot of suffering in this book. Not for the overly sensitive but a beautifully told st More...

5 comments like (8 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2008

Melody rated it:

I revisited this classic horse story not knowing what to expect, really. I have found that I can't really trust my childhood memories. In this case, however, the years made no difference. The odd thing I noticed while reading this book was how completely I'd internalized the messages regarding animals and how one should treat them. I know that I must have read this 20 or 30 times before I was 14, but I didn't realize that I was memorizing whole chunks of it and grafting it into my moral code. It More...

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Feb 24, 2011

Christina rated it:

Like The Call of the Wild, Black Beauty further convinces me that if animals could talk, they wouldn’t have many good things to say about us. This book is rightly celebrated for its message about animal welfare and the treatment of horses. Written from the horse’s perspective, the reader might find it hard not to empathize with the character of Black Beauty; the scenes of his hardships and misuse by various humans are plentiful. Many stations of a horse’s career are illustrated, either throug More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2010

Chandra rated it:

This is a children's classic that I somehow managed to miss all these years. I was never a horse obsessed little girl. And if the truth be told I'm a little scared of them. But all that aside this is a really wonderful story.

This version is adapted from the original by Robin McKinley to make it more accessible for younger readers. McKinley is known for reworking and retelling other classic stories and she apparently does it quite well. This version is also illustrated by one of m More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 12, 2010

Chris rated it:

Black Beauty is one of those rare books that can preach without being preachy. Anna Sewell wrote this to illustrate the abuse of horses, in particulary the harsh use of the bearing rein. The bearing rein was used to get the horse's head arched, but made it difficult for the horse to breathe and near impossible for the horse to pull a carriage uphill. When Sewell died, the hearse to carry her body used horses with bearing reins. Her mother went out and made the driver get rid of them.

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2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 06, 2008

Johnny rated it:

The Victorian period saw a dramatic rise in the middle class and in the leisure time that this new class had to spend on themselves and their causes. Childhood became more important to the middle class and so the first flowering of children's books, a genre that has prospered up until our own time. One of the great Victorian children's novels is Black Beauty, which illustrated the virtues of obedience and cheerfulness, while also bringing the issue of animal abuse into the public eye.

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0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 25, 2008

Jessica rated it:

Ah, the Victorians! I had no idea that this book wasn't in fact a cute story about a horse, but actually a treatise on animal cruelty. So there I was, reading this book aloud to my three-year-old, and skimming over things like horses being beaten to death or just whipped until blood is dripping in the streets of London! WOW! It's a great book, but I think it's definitely for older children, who can handle this sort of realism and will be able to discuss their feelings with you.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 03, 2011

Swetha rated it:

One of my all time favourite classic. It comes out from the horse's mouth literally. Transports one to get a glimpse of the lives of horses,their agonies and feelings that creates a feeling of pity towards them. While humans undergo suffering,the animals are a step further in this aspect and certainly proves the fact that the grass is not greener on the other side.

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 18, 2007

Jordan rated it:

I was so in love with horses from a young age and I remember crying my little eyes out when I read this book. It broke my heart when poor Black Beauty was abused and broken. I was elated when Beauty was reunited with a former caregiver. This classic story is great and a must for anyone who cares for animals.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2008

Pam rated it:

My first written introduction into the wrd of animal cruelty. As an animal loving youngster of about 7 years, this book made me angry, made me cry. It had stayed with me always, though I could never read it again - too upsetting. An important book with as much relevance today as when it was written, sadly.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 07, 2009

Anna rated it:

I would like to swap this book!

I really liked this book! It tells about a horse called: Black Beauty that will have an amazing adventure through his life!

Read the book to know his adventure!

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 11, 2008

Dee rated it:

No book review by a horse loving reader would be complete without this childrens classice. I still have my copy after what must be 50 years.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 03, 2011

Dee rated it:

Words can not describe the beauty and atmosphere of Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty". This classic follows the story of the remarkable Black Beauty, who spent his whole life working almost non-stop for the sake of his one-too-many masters. Injured by one, cared for by another, Black Beauty has been through it all. The majority of the story goes into depth about how horses were treated back in the 1800s--how the bearing rein slowly and painfully injured them, how most cab drivers forced the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 27, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I'm sorry, I read this book when I was 6 or 7 and it almost scarred me for life..the sight of Ginger's body being carted away stayed with me for years. Between this, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, and of course Old Yeller I have to assume that somewhere there is a Marquis de Sade school of children's literature. I never gave these to my children as they were growing up (they had to make do with Narnia, Charlie Bucket, and some others). Neither the books nor the movies did I take them to More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 13, 2007

Chicklet rated it:

Don't write this off as a horse-loving girl story.
Black Beauty delves into the cruel and unregulated treatment of horses during its time period. I like to think that this story inspired better laws regarding animal cruelty.
It is not simply a story with an agenda. It is a good story and still worth recomending to an elementary student. (Which is when I read it.) It is through the viewpoint of the horse.
If you enjoyed Wild Animals I Have Known, Old Yeller, or Where the Red Fern Grows More...

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Aug 08, 2008

Tempest rated it:

This book has crowned my living room bookshelf for several years and it can never be replaced. The story, told from the point of view of a sweet and carefree horse, wraps you up in an adventure that will leave you tingling. The detail, the story line, the exquisite charm that this book radiates, all endear it to anyone who loves animals.
With no beating around the bush this book tells the cruel truth of the lives of some horses, and explains it all from their view point.
Full of lively More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 13, 2008

Cissy rated it:

I read this at the same time as my 9 year old, and we both truly enjoyed it. Besides a great, touching story that is well-written and from an unusual point of view, this novel addresses important issues that I was able to discuss with my son: treatment of animals, keeping the Sabbath, kindness versus selfishness, doing your best work, and others. Very readable to young children...we read the original text without too much trouble and that's not always possible with those "old" books More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Jane rated it:

Before I start complaining, can I just say that Anna Sewell was one cool, cool person? She was super cool. As a child, she suffered some kind of leg injury that was poorly treated, and as a result, she was unable to stand or walk without a crutch for the rest of her life. In order to get around, Sewell often used horse-drawn carriages and fell in love with horses. She wrote Black Beauty in order to combat mistreatment of horses. After it was published in 1877, it became a huge influence in raisi More...

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Jan 08, 2012

Alanood rated it:

Black Beauty was born in a large and pleasant meadow. He liked his master very much. His mother didn’t like it when Black Beauty kicks and plays with other colts. She wanted her house to grow up to be good and gentle. Black Beauty grew up into a fine horse, with a soft black coat and a white star on his forehead. He was trained in a good way and has learned so much things. Soon, Black Beauty had a new home with Squire Gordon at Birtwick Park. He met a pony called Merrylegs and a horse called Gin More...

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Nov 21, 2011

Fleur rated it:

It must have taken considerable confidence - I suppose born of her conviction and what most likely then was thought of as eccentric concern - for Sewell to even conceive of writing a novel from the point of view of a 'mere brute'. Routine cruelty in Victorian England was entirely unremarkable when directed at children, never mind when shown to horses. Until her, nobody had paid it much mind - it was the norm.

Clearly she had the confidence of brilliance, for this is an enduring classic More...

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Nov 17, 2011

Keisha rated it:

i seen the movie to this years ago and though it was sad it was quite good, the narrator of Black Beauty's voice was perfect, so when i read this book obviously that voice was transferred to the book.

the book is more in depth than the movie, and Beauty explains a lot more about how he felt in situations he was put in, the story also tells a bit about Ginger and Merry legs and also introduces characters that were left out of the movie. Anna Sewell does a grand job at questioning the res More...

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Nov 02, 2011

Diane rated it:

Black Beauty is about a horse named black beauty who is trained to be a cart horse on a ranch. When his owners couldn't keep him any more, it made me feel sad because he was sold for a low price to people who abused him.
His cart companion, Ginger was sold to the same people for the same price. Ginger had been abused, and miss treated all her life. She had scars on her back from being flogged, and would kick and bite any human who came near her. Then black beauty was sold again and this ti More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Natasha rated it:

Black Beauty was one of the first novels I ever read as a child and it made a definite impact on how I understood the world. After reading this book, I treated animals with the utmost respect. I also learned a great deal about 19th century London, which inspired a healthy love for history in me.

Sewell's story of the life of one horse is both heart-warming and wrenching, and often, the reader finds themselves sympathizing with the lovable Black Beauty, his not-so-sweet friend Ginger, More...

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Jul 05, 2011

Lisa rated it:

I used to have one of the original hard bound versions of the books that was my grandmothers when SHE was a little girl, given to her by her mother. By the time I read it first as a little girl, the binding was so brittle that the individual pages were loose, & brittle themselves, like an ancient manuscript. I was only allowed to read it at the dining room table, so the book & the pages could be spread out on the tablecloth under a softer light. I can still remember the antique book smell of More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 23, 2010

Nhi rated it:

Question 14:
The author, Anna, had an unhappy childhood. She spent almost all her life at her family's fame where has lovely animals. One time, her friend wanted she run into and catch an animal has shot. She yelled and angry because of that cruel action, and later on she becomes love animals, especially is horse. Her friend has a black horse,really strong and beautiful. She really liked to take care of that horse and understand about horse's life clearly. She took six years to finished th More...

1 comment like

Jul 22, 2010

Cheryl rated it:

This book was the first book I was ever given, christmas 1986 by my grandad. It pretty much defines my childhood up until the age of 10/11 when I discovered Judy Blume and Black Beauty didn't cut it anymore.
I still have the first copy I was given that christmas and have just passed it on to my 10 year old daughter.

I re-read this book dozens of times when I was a child, I would sniffle and smile at the same parts everytime and even though it's not a groundbreaking story or a lif More...

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Jul 03, 2010

Julie rated it:

When I was very young this was one of very few books in the family bookcase I considered interesting, and I read it many times, mostly when I couldn't get to the library and had to make do with what was lying around. My great affection for it probably arises from this history, I have no idea what I would rate it if I read it the first time now.

One major thing I really like about the book is the way it really transports you to a different place and time and culture. Most people now ca More...

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Apr 05, 2010

Kailey rated it:

What month did you read this book for? March

Title: Black Beauty

Author: Anna Sewell

Date started/date completed: March 10- 28

Total Pages:

Rating of book (1-10): 7

Briefly summarize the book:
The narrator tells about his life as a colt, his mother’s advice on how to behave as a well-bred horse, and his master’s kind care. When Black Beauty is two, he witnesses the brutality of a hunt for a hare and the tragedy of one of th More...

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Oct 23, 2009

Rebecca rated it:

okay, i love horse, my favorite animal, besides dogs and wolves.A horse is a horse of course unless of course the horse is Black Beauty. Animal-loving children have been devoted to Black Beauty throughout this century, and no doubt will continue through the next. Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness.
Black Beauty tells the More...

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