Black Beauty

Black Beauty, a classic novel written by Anna Sewell and first published in 1877, is considered even today as one of the major animal stories for children. It is an autobiographical and fictionalized narration of a handsome and well-bred horse. Black Beauty, a well-born horse, who is initially owned by kind masters but is sold to successively crueler owners, narrates the story. After suffering ill-treatment and facing torture from various owners, he collapses, but in the end, he gets another kind owner and recovers eventually. John, a kind and caring master, who takes care of the horses, teaches young Joe how to groom the horse. Throughout the novel, Beauty remains a faithful horse, serving all his masters even if it means suffering from several ordeals. He is an ideal horse--obedient, willing, intelligent, and courageous. Ginger, another important character in the novel, is an unhappy horse whose tale is full of hardships and cruelty from her masters. The book, Black Beauty, is aimed at inducing kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.