Black Beauty

Gr 1–3—This retelling joins several other picture book versions. It begins with a short foreword explaining the intent and impact of Sewell's work. Brown touches on major points from the original and maintains the horse's perspective. The story starts with Black Beauty following his mother's advice and trusting his instincts to save his stablemate, Ginger, from a fire and his master from a flooded bridge. In broad strokes, Brown covers the protagonist's life as a carriage horse, cab horse, and workhorse and concludes with the animal's reunion with his favorite groom. In keeping with the original, Black Beauty's cruel treatment is evident in the text and illustrations, but Brown omits gritty details, and the harsher aspects are balanced by happier times. The traditional, watercolor-style illustrations not only do justice to the narration but enliven it as well. The use of light and dark enhances the mood, and the artist gives her human and animal characters expressive faces. An afterword offers a quick overview of Sewell's life. VERDICT A good introduction to a classic, perfect for classroom reading and storytimes with older children. Pair it with Peter Parnall's Stuffer and Mônica Carnesi's Little Dog Lost for animal tales with happy endings. --Catherine Callegari, formerly at Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--This retelling joins several other picture book versions. It begins with a short foreword explaining the intent and impact of Sewell's work. Brown touches on major points from the original and maintains the horse's perspective. The story starts with Black Beauty following his mother's advice and trusting his instincts to save his stablemate, Ginger, from a fire and his master from a flooded bridge. In broad strokes, Brown covers the protagonist's life as a carriage horse, cab horse, and workhorse and concludes with the animal's reunion with his favorite groom. In keeping with the original, Black Beauty's cruel treatment is evident in the text and illustrations, but Brown omits gritty details, and the harsher aspects are balanced by happier times. The traditional, watercolor-style illustrations not only do justice to the narration but enliven it as well. The use of light and dark enhances the mood, and the artist gives her human and animal characters expressive faces. An afterword offers a quick overview of Sewell's life. VERDICT A good introduction to a classic, perfect for classroom reading and storytimes with older children. Pair it with Peter Parnall's Stuffer and Monica Carnesi's Little Dog Lost for animal tales with happy endings.--Catherine Callegari, formerly at Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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. (Oct.)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 4-6 -This adaptation of the 19th-century classic is faithful to the original story, in which Black Beauty recounts his experiences with both kind and cruel owners. The novel's episodic structure translates easily to graphic format, but the frequent moral lessons and antiquated language may make some readers squirm. The artwork is detailed and realistic but lacks a distinctive style; the layout is similarly functional. "Black Beauty"'s success even in libraries with a popular graphic-novel collection is not assured, since it is likely to become lost among the trendier manga titles. Purchase where the original novel circulates, or where the same can be said for graphic-novel adaptations of the classics." -Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY" Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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.