Black Beauty is a book I’d never read before. This adapted version was good enough for me. Such a difficult read! To realize horses, all animals, used to be treated so poorly :-( and also to realize, at the time of Black Beauty’s original publishing, slavery was still very much legal and human beings were being treated with the same cruelty!

Adrianne ( )

The illustrated classic edition of Black Beauty is the same beautiful story of the beautiful young colt, told from his point of view of the owners who cruelly mistreated him and the people he meets throughout his life who treat him with love and respect. This book describes Black Beauty's feelings and insight he has that many humans never know.

This book is a classic that will never be old or out of date. The story told from the animal's perspective makes me think of a book by Bill Wallace called The Backward Bird Dog. Both characters make you stop and think about the unconditional loyalty that animals have and make you see the world through their eyes for a change.

The illustrated/graphic version of Black Beauty draws a reader to the story more than a book full of words. The pictures and words blend to give the reader more of a sense of active participation.

In addition to reading the book as a class, the teacher might encourage the students to illustrate a section of the books themselves, drawing on what the horse has to say and matching the student's perspective to that of the horse.