Book dossier
by Anna Sewell
(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
