Classic Starts®

May 2, 2005
This graphic novel adapts the classic children's story of a horse whose gentle nature triumphs over abuse and misfortune. Anna Sewell's original remains beloved to preteen girls in particular, not just for the adventures Black Beauty goes through, but also for Sewell's lyrical descriptions of a past era. Husband-and-wife team Brigman and Richardson do a wonderful job illustrating that period, with b&w drawings that pop off the page and give readers an excellent sense of place as well as time. Unfortunately hamstrung by having to shorten a story that spans many years, they have had to cut all of Sewell's descriptions and most of her transitions, leaving short, choppy chapters that represent information rather than tell a story. Sewell originally wrote the story to expose mistreatment of animals in her society, and the cuts leave the adaptation sounding a bit preachy and repetitive. The spirit of the author's brave horse still comes through, as Black Beauty describes his different masters and the other horses he meets in his life. This should be a hit with horse lovers still too young for the original.

October 10, 2016
In a brisk adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 animal story, Black Beauty recounts his early life on a farm and the accident that leads him to become a work horse in London, where he is abused by his masters. Brown illustrates in a rich, pastoral style, capturing pivotal events that include a frightening barn fire and Black Beauty’s collapse on cobblestone streets. Though Brown’s adaptation moves quickly through the horse’s many travails, her injuries and mistreatments still strike their intended emotional chords, making her eventual reunion with the kindly groom Joe Green in the bucolic final pages feel very well-deserved. Ages 4–9.

October 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -While better written than most abridged versions, these adaptations sacrifice character and theme development through simplified retellings of the basic plots or action. In "Black Beauty", Church has reduced the original 49 chapters to 21 by combining the sequence and action into simpler accounts. Sasaki has reworked six of the Sherlock Holmes stories to maintain the mystery and solution minus Holmes's roundabout explanations of deduction. The books include lists of questions for discussion. The generously spaced, large-type format, interspersed with occasional black-and-white drawings, may serve as an introduction or -starter - as the series intends. However, waiting for the right read-aloud setting combined with discussion of the original is the best way to include the classics in any child's literary experience." -Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2005
The classic horse story is presented in an unabridged format. Each chapter begins with a small scratchboard drawing; unfortunately, the same handful of illustrations is recycled throughout, giving the volume a generic presentation. The book, which includes a ribbon bookmark, ends with a list of open-ended questions ("Would it have been as powerful a story if it was told from the human point of view?").

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)