Synopsis
Rediscover the timeless tales of children's literature in this beautifully designed series from Pavilion. Exquisitely illustrated and published in uniform editions, these are a must for every child's bookshelf.
Children's Literature
Anyone who has seen a screen version of Black Beauty may be surprised after reading this children's classic, first published in 1877. There are no children as main characters; the story centers around Black Beauty himself. Told completely from the horse's point of view, it is the story of his life from colt to senior citizen. The author was quoted as saying that her intention for writing the novel was "to induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses" and in this she succeeds. The reader identifies with noble Black Beauty and roots for him to weather the ups and downs of his life. Beauty accepts his fate as an animal put on earth to serve man, but he makes many an observation about the way that men abuse or show a total lack of compassion towards horses. When one human character mistreats a horse, there is usually another human character that sets the insensitive person straight and thus teaches a lesson about the proper treatment of animals. Beauty goes through a succession of owners and tasks during his life—from carefree colt to carriage horse to rock hauler. Luckily, most of Beauty's owners are kind towards him, although some of his equine friends are not so lucky. Written before the day of the automobile, the book talks of "carriages, omnibuses, carts, vans, trucks, cabs," which would suggest modern day. In fact, all of these "vehicles" were powered by horses during an era when equines were not pets, but working animals. The style of the book is understandably old fashioned, and some expressions will be unfamiliar to modern readers. Neither of these minor inconveniences deters from the fact that both the characters and the story remain engaging,even in the 21st century.