Black Beauty [NOOK Book]

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Overview

"The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it... While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her." So begins the story of Black Beauty, a sensitive and intelligent horse who shares with us a lifetime of his feelings, hopes, and dreams. Sadly, the idyllic existence of a colt frolicking in the fields with his mother was, for Beauty, to be a fleeting one. Despite his hard work and devotion to his masters, Beauty falls upon hard times. At the hands of various owners - some gentle, some thoughtless, some downright brutal - he comes to learn a painful lesson: that just as a
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More About This Book

Overview

"The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it... While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her." So begins the story of Black Beauty, a sensitive and intelligent horse who shares with us a lifetime of his feelings, hopes, and dreams. Sadly, the idyllic existence of a colt frolicking in the fields with his mother was, for Beauty, to be a fleeting one. Despite his hard work and devotion to his masters, Beauty falls upon hard times. At the hands of various owners - some gentle, some thoughtless, some downright brutal - he comes to learn a painful lesson: that just as a horse's life can be filled with tenderness, it can be also be filled with injustice and cruelty.

Throughout it all, the spirited and noble thoroughbred keeps his strength and good temper. This beautiful, moving story of Black Beauty's search for love and kindness, told from the horse's point of view, will have you looking at all animals in a different way. This handsome edition, with charming illustrations by Scott McKowen, is sure to find a treasured place in your own family's library. Book club questions by noted educator Arthur Pober, Ed.D., further enhance the reading experience.

Editorial Reviews

VOYA
The historical sidebars in Black Beauty mostly deal with what English life in the nineteenth century was like, but a few specifically deal with horses. They can be distracting if you're trying to follow the story. Unless you're really interested in details of that time period, don't think that this book is any better than another version, although the illustrations might make it easier for younger readers to enjoy, $17.99 Trade pb. Illus. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2000, Viking/Penguin Putnam, 208p, $25.99. Ages 11 to 14. Reviewer: Kristen Moreland, Teen Reviewer SOURCE: VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)
Children's Literature
This summary of the Black Beauty story is profusely illustrated with full-color drawings of horses, clothing, and artifacts of Victorian England. An introduction explains the context of the story and its impact on the care and treatment of horses. Ten short chapters follow, carefully capturing the essence of the original book. Sidebars feature photographs and illustrations with descriptions of words and terms that may not be familiar to young readers. A glossary in the back contributes to further understanding. Some biographical information about Sewell is included. This is a good introduction to both the study of horses and the enjoyment of horse stories. 2000, DK, Ages 7 to 10, $12.95 and $3.95. Reviewer: Phyllis Kennemer
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-Anna Sewell's classic novel begins with Black Beauty's early days as a colt at his mother's side and follows him through each of his masters and jobs. It is written in a charmingly sophisticated voice that is easier for listeners to understand than to read; the language, tone, and sentence structure are a bit antiquated, suiting the time period in which the story was first published in 1877. Moral lessons are abundant in this tale told from the horse's point of view. A great deal of information about the nature and abilities of horses is imparted in a surprisingly grim first person narrative. The casual cruelty of man toward beast is expounded throughout the captivating story. Each character, man or horse, is compellingly and earnestly voiced by narrator Simon Vance. Sure to be popular with horse lovers.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • BN ID: 2940000716557
  • Publisher: Neeland Media
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales rank: 791,123
  • File size: 224 KB

Meet the Author

Anna Sewell was born in 1820 into a Quaker family whose respect for horses was out of step with the common view of the time, that animals should be worked until they dropped. Disabled in a fall aged 14, Anna lived all her life with her parents but became an expert carriage driver and, as editor and stern critic, helped her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, become a successful� author of evangelical children's books. Anna wrote Black Beauty, her only book, in the last years of her life, as a plea for more humane treatment of horses. She died in 1878, a year after the novel was published to wide acclaim.

Read an Excerpt

My Early Home

The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside. At the top of the meadow was a plantation of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.

While I was young I lived upon my mother's milk, as I could not eat grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees, and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the plantation.

As soon as I was old enough to eat grass, my mother used to go out to work in the daytime and come back in the evening.

There were six young colts in the meadow besides me. They were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the field, as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play, for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop.

One day, when there was a good deal of kicking, my mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said:

"I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you. The colts who live here are very good colts, but they are carthorse colts and, of course, they have not learned manners. You have been well bred and well born; your father has a great name in these parts, and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races.Your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play."

I have never forgotten my mother's advice. I knew she was a wise old horse, and our master thought a great deal of her. Her name was Duchess, but he often called her Pet.

Our master was a good, kind man. He gave us good food, good lodging, and kind words; he spoke as kindly to us as he did to his little children. We were all fond of him, and my mother loved him very much. When she saw him at the gate, she would neigh with joy, and trot up to him. He would pat and stroke her and say, "Well, old Pet, and how is your little Darkie?" I was a dull black, so he called me Darkie, then he would give me a piece of bread, which was very good, and sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother. All the horses would come to him, but I think we were his favorites. My mother always took him to the town on a market day in a light gig.

There was a plowboy, Dick, who sometimes came into our field to pluck blackberries from the hedge. When he had eaten all he wanted, he would have what he called fun with the colts, throwing stones and sticks at them to make them gallop. We did not much mind him, for we could gallop off, but sometimes a stone would hit and hurt us.

One day he was at this game and did not know that the master was in the next field, but he was there, watching what was going on. Over the hedge he jumped in a snap, and catching Dick by the arm, he gave him such a box on the ear as made him roar with the pain and surprise. As soon as we saw the master, we trotted up nearer to see what went on.

"Bad boy!" he said. "Bad boy to chase the colts! This is not the first time, nor the second, but it shall be the last. There--take your money and go home. I shall not want you on my farm again." So we never saw Dick anymore. Old Daniel, the man who looked after the horses, was just as gentle as our master, so we were well off.

CHAPTER 2

The Hunt

I was two years old when a circumstance happened which I have never forgotten. It was early in the spring; there had been a little frost in the night, and a light mist still hung over the plantations and meadows. I and the other colts were feeding at the lower part of the field when we heard, quite in the distance, what sounded like the cry of dogs. The oldest of the colts raised his head, pricked his ears, and said, "There are the hounds!" and immediately cantered off, followed by the rest of us to the upper part of the field, where we could look over the hedge and see several fields beyond. My mother and an old riding horse of our master's were also standing near, and seemed to know all about it.

"They have found a hare," said my mother, "and if they come this way we shall see the hunt."

And soon the dogs were all tearing down the field of young wheat next to ours. I never heard such a noise as they made. They did not bark, nor howl, nor whine, but kept on a "yo! yo, o, o! yo! yo, o, o!" at the top of their voices. After them came a number of men on horseback, some of them in green coats, all galloping as fast as they could. The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them, and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them, but they were soon away into the fields lower down. Here it seemed as if they had come to a stand; the dogs left off barking and ran about every way with their noses to the ground.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Table of Contents

Part 1
1 My Early Home 3
2 The Hunt 6
3 My Breaking In 9
4 Birtwick Park 13
5 A Fair Start 16
6 Liberty 20
7 Ginger 22
8 Ginger's Story Continued 26
9 Merrylegs 30
10 A Talk in the Orchard 33
11 Plain Speaking 38
12 A Stormy Day 41
13 The Devil's Trade Mark 44
14 James Howard 47
15 The Old Ostler 50
16 The Fire 53
17 John Manly's Talk 57
18 Going for the Doctor 61
19 Only Ignorance 65
20 Joe Green 68
21 The Parting 71
Part 2
22 Earshall 77
23 A Strike For Liberty 81
24 The Lady Anne 84
25 Reuben Smith 90
26 How It Ended 94
27 Ruined And Going Down-Hill 97
28 A Job-Horse And His Drivers 100
29 Cockneys 104
30 A Thief 110
31 A Humbug 113
Part 3
32 A Horse Fair 119
33 A London Cab Horse 123
34 An Old War Horse 127
35 Jerry Barker 132
36 The Sunday Cab 138
37 The Golden Rule 143
38 Dolly and a Real Gentleman 147
39 Seedy Sam 151
40 Poor Ginger 155
41 The Butcher 158
42 The Election 161
43 A Friend in Need 163
44 Old Captain and his Successor 167
45 Jerry's New Year 171
Part 4
46 Jakes and the Lady 179
47 Hard Times 183
48 Farmer Thoroughgood and his Grandson Willie 187
49 My Last Home 191
Questions, Questions, Questions 195
About the Author, About the Illustrator 199

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 336 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(200)

4 Star

(57)

3 Star

(32)

2 Star

(16)

1 Star

(31)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 336 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 30, 2009

    The Most Needed Book I Have Ever Read

    When I first picked up this book, it was a late in the evening at the local library. I was a young girl, barely eight years old and I was struggling with some very difficult situations at home. There was a rift in my family, centered around me and it caused me to burrow into myself, not allowing for the easy childhood friendships that I should have had. At that time I was discovering books, but they were not quite what I was looking for. Sort of like picking up appears to be a soft drink and finding out it's really tea. Bearable, but not quite right. So I went looking for a book, not because I was aware of what I really needed, but because my young soul was lonely and broken. Black Beauty and I spent much of the next few weeks together as I read and then reread the story over and again. He understood my pain like no one else ever could. Together we raced the wind under fair weather and toiled up great hills against odds that no one should ever have had to face. He was my companion, as I was his. Recently, I picked up the book again and found myself dwelling on those long ago days. I can still remember the feel of soft grass as I lay with Black Beauty, full of pain but still able to gaze upon the bright flowers around me. To be able to see beauty, even when life is not at its best, was the gift that I most needed and the lesson that the story teaches us all.

    15 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 16, 2002

    A wonderful classic

    Black Beauty is a great book about a horse. It's a book about a horse's life and his point of view about life.Black Beauty expresses his so well you would think Anna Sewell the author was actually a horse because she knows so much about a horse's point of view and their lives. This book is so wonderful that sometimes it seems as if you want to be a horse just like Black Beauty! This is by far the greatest classic I have ever read! I will remember this book forever because of Black Beauty's loyalty to his owners no matter how much he was mistreated by some of them! Black Beauty will always stand in my mind as the greatest horse book of all times!

    8 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 29, 2011

    Great book!!!!!!!!!

    I loved the book! When I had to stop reading it, I would go "Just a few more pages!" It was very captivating to me. Beware that it has many typos but they are easy to skip.

    6 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 14, 2009

    Black Beauty is a phenonimnal book.

    Black Beauty is one of my favorite books. I have read it at least three times! The story Anna Sewell spins is truly amazing. She takes you back into the times of horse and buggy and shows you so many different types of characters. Anna points out right and wrong as you read her book. Black Beauty is constantly changing owners, he goes from a nice caretaker to harsh abusive owners and back again. The book is really good, especially if you are a horse lover. I recommend this book to anybody crazy about horses and people ranging from ten to adults. I think the book can be enjoyed by just about anybody. If you have read Black Beauty and enjoyed it Rose's Story is also a good book. It is the second book in The Girls Of Lighthouse Lane series.

    6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2012

    Amazing

    Iiked this book very much i think everyone in the entire world should read it.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 8, 2003

    Tearjerker

    When I was little, I saw the movie with my family, so the book already had a really strong emotional appeal to me. It is one of my all-time favorites, and I recommend it to ANYONE who likes books. It's a classic.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 25, 2012

    How good this Book is

    I ama 10 year old girl and i am in the fifth grade and i love this seventh grade and halft and i go to moore intermedia school and it is worth eleven points at my school an the book level is 7.7 and this book is for young aludts : *)

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 5, 2012

    Love!!!

    I read it to my little bro. every night. We are not done yet so that is why l gave a 4 star rateing. Go no grammar! Lol! (If you read the book on here you would understand what l ment by that.)

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted June 20, 2011

    Ugh

    All the words were messed up like somebody messed with them.:(

    2 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 18, 2002

    A great book!

    Though I`m adiccted to Margurite Henry books. Black Bueaty was the first horse book I had read. I don`t like it as much as books like Misty of Chincoteague, Black Gold, or Stormy, Misty`s Foal. But it`s still a great book. A classic. And if you enjoy horse books, than you`ll enjoy Black Bueaty!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 4, 2012

    How the book is/ rate and review

    It is a good book. I really like it! It has sad parts. Detiled good. It has lots of horses in it. If you like horses you might like it. If you don't like horses you might like it also

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 26, 2012

    Black Beauty

    This is THE best book ever we read this in ALP(advanced learning prep) reading and i wanted to keep reading this book even when we had to go. At some points in this book some very sad things happen so I woulf say 8&up.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 10, 2012

    Yes

    YES

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 19, 1999

    Great Book!!

    Black Beauty tells of a horse's journey from home to home. Black Beauty has some homes that treat him good and some that treat him him badly. One place he goes takes Black Beauty inside their house to draw his picture and he leaves them a surprice on the floor. If you like books that make you laugh, cry, or become happy for the characters you should read Black Beauty.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 24, 2012

    Marty iz awesome

    Kkk

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 19, 2012

    To autumnbreeze1

    Thanls! Thats kind of what i was thinking but i wasnt sure! You cam reply to me if you want. What is your age? Mine is 11 9/12. I know! Im very precise with my age!-BlackBeautylover713

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 9, 2012

    Apprentices den of beautyclan

    Apprentices:

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 9, 2012

    Great book get it!!!!!!!

    Awsome

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 8, 2012

    good but full of typos.

    Really good but full of typos. I read thru the typos and it is an excellent story. A classic!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 2, 2012

    Stupid book

    I HATE THIS BOOK

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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