Black Beauty

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade historical classic
• Originally Published: 1877
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1020L; grades 5-9
• Structure/Length: 4 parts; 49 chapters; approx. 245 pages; approx. 5 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Told in the point of view of Black Beauty from the time he is a young colt, the story reveals the horse’s spirit and courage as he passes through a variety of owners—some who mistreat him—and yearns for a peaceful home.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Animal cruelty; abuse toward horses

Anna Sewell, Author

• Bio: 1820-1878; born in Norfolk, England; concerned for the humane treatment of horses from a young age; helped to edit her mother’s bestsellers for children; wrote Black Beauty as an invalid in the last months of her life

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Inherent Goodness of Animals
• Importance of Intervening to Prevent Cruelty
• Destructiveness of Alcohol Abuse
• Anti-Industrialism and Anti-Capitalism

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will