Black Beauty

So, the last time I was at Book Club the librarian reached out a “101 books to read before you grow up” book by Bianca Schulze.
I took a look at the list and I decided to respond to it in 2 ways: I’m going to read all 101 in the next 12 months, despite having already grown up some years ago. I’m going to compile these books over the course of this next year so I can share the challenge with my class each year.
 I started with Black Beauty by Ann Sewell.
I’m not a big horse fan. An I have to say this book will probably be more appealing to girls than it would be to boys. But the more I read the more I wish I had read it years ago.

Synopsis 

It tracks the life a Black Beauty, a black stallion with a white diamond upon its forehead. Its set in time of writing, which was 1877, a time where automobiles did not exist, but rather everything was done by horse; the plough, the taxi cabs, coal delivery carts, fire engines and what was commonly called back then omnibuses. Horses had a hard life back then. But this tales speaks of kindness and love as well as stubbornness and brutality. Beauty is lucky to be born into kindness, but when the family are forced to sell him that is when his troubles begin.

Author

Anna Sewell originally wrote the book, Black Beauty, for those that work with horses. But it soon became very successful among children. She wrote between the years 1871 and 1876 while she was becoming more and more ill. It came to a point that writing became difficult and she finished the book on scraps of paper while bedridden, her mother then had to transcribe for her. She passed away in 1878, shortly after seeing her novel’s initial success.

Teaching Resources 

I also tried to find a movie version to share with my class during Book Week. There is a huge difference between "based on the Anna Sewell classic" and "Inspired by".

If, like me, you want to a movie/ novel comparison you'd be better of with the 1994 adaptation rather than the 2015 version.  

HELBLING Readers
Black Beauty Interactive Lesson Plan TES resource
Black Beauty on Pinterest
McMillians Young Reader Teacher’s Notes
More…

Novel Study

Black Beauty Novel Study BUNDLE discussion guide student journal and test
You will receive a PowerPoint discussion guide (132 slides in all), a printable student journal (42 prompts), and the unit test. Students will practice point of view, cause and effect, summarizing, characterization, imagery, compare/contrast, sequence of events, setting, theme, figurative language, inference, and prediction! Easy to follow and NO PREP!!

Movie Tie-in

Black Beauty (1994) - - True to the original novel .
The fates of horses, and the people who own and command them, are revealed as Black Beauty narrates the circle of his life.
Black Beauty Movie (2015) - Inspired by the novel
"Black Beauty," a film centering on a 15 year-old girl who volunteers at a city pound, and convinces her Grandfather in the country to adopt a horse that was rescued from an abusive owner. They spend the summer rehabilitating "Black Beauty."

Purchase

Black Beauty Movie (1994) 
Black Beauty Novel (2015)