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Cover of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Black Beauty

  • 229 pages · about 4 hours
  • First published 1877
  • 107 editions
  • Free to read

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1 About this book

(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.

Good for readers who want: a classic, horses, and a book they can read free online.

  • Biography
  • Animals
  • Classics
  • Horses
  • Kindness
  • Morals
  • Morality
  • 19th Century

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3 About Anna Sewell

1820–1878

Anna Sewell (; 30 March 1820 – 25 April 1878) was an English novelist who is known for her only book, Black Beauty, a novel about a horse. She was born into a Quaker family in Norfolk and moved to London as a baby. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was the author of popular children's books. Sewell never married and always lived with her parents, in Sussex, Gloucestershire and Norfolk.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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