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    Black Widow Beauty: Quickreads
    Black Widow Beauty: Quickreads
    Black Widow Beauty: Quickreads
    Audiobook31 minutes

    Black Widow Beauty: Quickreads

    Written by Anne Schraff

    Narrated by Saddleback Educational Publishing

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Monique Reed is a gorgeous girl, all right. Is it her fault that every guy she dates ends up having a freak accident?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSaddleback Educational Publishing
    Release dateJan 1, 2010
    ISBN9781612475585
    Black Widow Beauty: Quickreads

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    Reviews for Black Widow Beauty

    4.5/5

    42 ratings42 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book possesses the rare quality of having a writing style that draws the reader in continuously. Sewell's ability to take the point of view of her equine characters and to describe their experiences in knowing detail is marvelous. The book suffers from an overly preachy tone at times, as there is only so much variety a horse can experience and thus the same types of scenarios seem to be gone over more than once. In places Sewell's Quaker faith is evident, as when she describes Old Captain's ambivalent feelings about war. In others, the debates on Christian morality that come before her characters are more likely to clash with some Christian readers' views. In particular, I did not follow the logic between successive chapters in which a character first refuses an entreaty to take work on a Sunday in order to drive a woman who is no longer able to walk to church, and then later accedes to his wife's request that he take another woman unable to walk the distance to go visit a dying relative on a Sunday. These episodes may find root in Sewell's own loss of mobility in life, but regardless, her theology is a bit questionable. She also seems to make no apologies for the character of Ginger "standing up for herself" through bad behaviour when mistreated, and allows the character to go on and on about how much better behaved she'd be if only others had treated her well. This novel thus strikes me as interesting and unusual in that it moves the reader to compassion for animal characters by endowing them with human-like emotional and mental capacities, but does not seem to hold them to the same moral standards of accountability or agency. The horses, thus, do not necessarily display in themselves a clear moral goal to which the young readers are expected to aspire. This does not make the book a bad one, but rather a more complex and interesting one, and while it is not a work I would give to young readers as a straightforward depiction of social equity and the obligations of man, it is definitely one worth leading young readers through with a critical, evaluative eye. A set of discussion questions and project ideas at the end of the Aladdin edition of this book may also help parents and teachers with this aim.
    • 4/5
      A little preachy at times, but for a good cause: the cruelty directed at and on animals in 1800s England was rampant, and this book brought the untold story of life through the eyes of a horse to the general public. A child/juvenile book on one level, it is also for adults, and a good read and reread.
    • 4/5
      This eyewitness book tells a shortened version of the story of Black Beauty, while explaining a lot of horse history. The margins are loaded with information about horse care and how it relates to the story. The story is also brought to life with illustrations. This is a great introduction or companion to the novel, and also of interest to young horse enthusiasts.
    • 5/5
      This is the first book I remember reading and it started my voracious appetite for books.I still have my copy, tho it's old and fragile. I picked up a copy from the library to re-read and to use to write my paper on the first book I remember reading. Talk about your easy assignments!Surfing for a pic of the cover I have, I found out that the book was part of a Folgers coffee give away. My grandparents used Folgers and so I have to assume that's where I got it. Life is full of weird little twists!
    • 4/5
      Black Beauty is a horse. His first owner was not cruel to him so he felt more comfortable than any others because he had many terrible experiences.I don't always see horses, I have seen it once when I was eight years old and I rode it. He is more kind to me than I expected. I want to ride it again someday.
    • 4/5
      an undated edition given me by my grandparents on my birthday in1957. I suspect that I never read it, because I just did so and did not remember anything. The autobiography of a horse, interesting for the social commentary and especially the life of London cabbies.
    • 5/5
      Black Beauty is a great book about a horse. This story starts when he is a foal and goes through his ups and downs of his life as a horse. I love horses and I love this book. I could read this book over and over. Even though you probably would not think about how long a horse lives and what kind of life one would have and this story is all about that.I would really like to read this book to my students. I think they would really like it. I would love to do a unit over horses and read other horse books. I could have them write a little story about a horse or have them draw horse.
    • 5/5
      Black Beauty is written from the perspective of a horse, a first person autobiographical narrative; from Beauty as a foal on an English farm, to a hard life at work in London, to retirement in the country. Each short chapter tells a story of an event that contains a lesson about how to treat horses. Allegorically, the lessons are easily applied to treating other people as well, the book has been a popular teaching aid in schools to this day.This is truely a gift for the impressionable reader, perhaps 7-14 age range. As an adult it was a heart-warming reminder, food for the soul, told with beautiful finess and a soft touch. The author Anna Sewell, a Quaker, her life story is as touching as the fictional horse she wrote about. She was an invalid as a young girl and could not walk, living with her mother (a famous author in her own right). Anna never married or had children. She only wrote this one book, writing on scraps of paper passed to her mother while she lay on the living room couch as her health declined, living just long enough to see its initial success.
    • 5/5
      This book was in a word lovely. I think it's written in an engaging manner for anyone from upper elementary on. It's not difficult to follow. Although there is a lot of horse jargon , it is well explained by the narrating horse.Pros-beautiful writinganimal theme classic literature (stood the test of time)Short and medium level readCons-Formal languagevery moral, maybe preachy to some
    • 4/5
      Told from the point-of-view of the horse known as Black Beauty, this is the tale of his life - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Set in 19th century England, Beauty goes through myriad owners and names, meeting and befriending other horses along the way. I always enjoyed this book, but thought it was rather sad, as well.
    • 5/5
      This book sends a message to readers about the importance of treating animals kindly and the rewards that can be received in return. Anna Sewell understands animals and their needs so well which is why she did such a good job writing from the perspective of Black Beauty. Not only is there an important message to the story but the story itself is good and I didn't know much about horses before reading this, so I learned something. I recommend this story to both children and adults.
    • 5/5
      Black Beauty, a happy and pampered horse, is eventually sold when his owner can no longer afford to keep him. Black Beauty ends up with a variety of owners, some kind and others cruel, but through it all retains a certain sense of nobility and tries to survive as best he can.One of the best animal stories ever!
    • 5/5
      My dad bought me a beautiful copy of this when I was in the 3rd grade (which is the one I still have!) and couldn't understand all of the vocabulary yet. I still read it every other year or so. Love it!
    • 4/5
      One of my childhood favorites has yet to be subjected to the scrutiny of adult eyes. But I still recall the impact Black Beauty's tale had on me decades ago. I have an inkling my early read of this book may have helped to shape -- or at least reinforce -- my love and respect for animals.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this story as a kid and to this day I carry it close. This is a wonderful book for children: it shows them the world through the eyse of a gentle and loyal horse and illustrates how animals should be treated with the kindness and love they deserve. I would recommend this book for any child of seven or upwards.
    • 5/5
      This classic children's book narrated by the horse Black Beauty holds up well over time. This book should delight both children and adults. It tells the story of his life through good and bad times. The author of the book was a Quaker woman, and she was definitely trying to teach good moral values to children, but coming from the horse of a mouth, it doesn't seem quite as didactic as some moralistic tales. There are a lot of good pointers about good horsemanship in the book as well. These tend to be a bit preachier than the moral lessons. I enjoyed the story of Black Beauty as a child, but I think I appreciated the story much more as an adult.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favourite childhood books. The story of a horse told in first person, recording his adventures good and bad.Ideal for children who love animals, a classic that has stood the test of time.
    • 4/5
      Ah, what a tear-jerker! In these days of PETA and humane societies, it's hard to remember that at one time books like this and Beautiful Joe were an important part of a social movement to treat animals more kindly. We might even think this too graphic for children now.
    • 5/5
      Since pictures & illustrations are as much a part of a child's imagination as the written word, then this book beautifully combines both, with the abundant B&W line illustrations by illustrator Lucy Kemp-Welch, in addition to the 12 colour plates included; all in keeping with the time period this novel is set in. A wonderful edition to any child's library.I've been reading horse-topic related books for as long as I can remember; but the very first horse story that left an indelible impression on me was ANNA SEWELL's "BLACK BEAUTY."It really openend my eyes to the abuse and cruelty, and majestic fraility that these wonderful creatures suffer at the hands of their human counterparts. Ms Sewell opted to write this book from "the horse's mouth" so to speak, and she was one of the very few authors that was able to pull this off with great success. This book also laid the cornerstone for the ASPCA aims and goals, and brought to light the conditions and treatment of working horses in 20th century London, England (and elsewhere ). The story is told of a horse's life; from start to finish; told with dignity and warmth, and serves as a successful analogy as to how humans should interact with one another. This book also laid the cornerstone for my interest and love of all things equine, and further fed my hunger to acquire as many horse books as an 11 year old could. From there, and I went on to read all of Walter Farley's "The Black Stallion" series (at one time, I owned all the hardcover editions), the Marguerite Henry books, and Enid Bagnold's "National Velvet"(which really wasn't about a horse per se), and anything else I could get my horse-hungry hands on! I now keep a copy of Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty" in my library at home, and have given a copy to my daughter to read. This is a tale that sensitizes the reader to the plight of horses at the hands of their human caregivers, trainers, breeders, riders, etc - all told from the horse's mouth.And lest we think the inhumane treatment of horses has abided since this book was written - one only has to follow the controversy surrounding the use of "Premarin", or the questionable training methods of gaited horses, or the exploitation of horses in the Thoroughbred racing industry, or the many abuses of rodeo, etc.There is much to be gleaned about the exploitation and abuse of animals from this book. All in all, this book will always remain a timeless classic.
    • 4/5
      I have to admit that in my youth I never read Black Beauty. I wish I had. The style of this book, written in the first person, telling how the life of a horse can be pleasurable or miserable was truly delightful. It may me stop to think that it is a shame that so many people don't take into consideration an animal's feelings. Maybe if it was made mandatory reading for children, we wouldn't have mistreated animals in this world.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite books and has been since I was young. I have read it over and over. You are quickly absorbed into the story and I love how it makes you think about the way you treat both the people and animals you meet in your life.
    • 2/5

      Four out of ten.

      Black Beauty is the story of a spirited horse - a beautiful coal black stallion with a brilliant white star on his forehead. Follow Black Beauty's adventures from the peaceful green meadows of his youth to the cold, bitter streets of nineteenth-century London.

    • 4/5
      I liked it. Some parts were sad, such as the part when Ginger and Black Beauty had the bearing reins. It also had happy parts, such as when Black Beauty was broken in and sold to Squire Gordon. I liked the book very much. -Naomi Fotenos (age 7), March 6, 2010.
    • 4/5
      Considering I've always been a lover of animals and badly wanted to ride horses as a little girl, I'm surprised that I hadn't gotten around to this book much earlier in life. Originally published in 1877, the story follows Black Beauty, so named by one of his owners, from his carefree youth as a colt in a farm while still under his mother's tutelage, and through the better part of his life, as he passes from one owner to the next with conditions often going from bad to worse to unbearable, notably when he is forced to (over)work as a cab horse in London. Black Beauty narrates his story in the first person, and while I enjoyed having the horse's point of view, I was annoyed by the extent of anthropomorphising, with our narrator seemingly able to understand human speech and reasoning, and have a wide range of all too human feelings too, which might be acceptable for a young reader, but not for this adult, though interestingly enough, it seems that Sewell did not write the novel for children. The story makes repeated allusions to the mistreatment of animals, and horses in particular, and seemed in parts overly moralistic, though as another LT member pointed out to me, it was the first work of fiction advocating the humane treatment of horses. According to wikipedia "[Sewell] said that her purpose in writing the novel was "to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses"—an influence she attributed to an essay on animals she read earlier by Horace Bushnell (1802–1876) entitled "Essay on Animals". Her sympathetic portrayal of the plight of working animals led to a vast outpouring of concern for animal welfare".
    • 3/5
      Lovely but somewhat melodramatic. Unfortunately I have read this classic too late (I am a grown up now). I would have loved this when I was 9. Sometimes it made me very very sad (Ginger made me sad). Keep your hankies ready (not joking).Sadly there are still a lot of "black beauties" these days.
    • 4/5
      I read this and then I cried and cried and cried. And then I read it again. I was 8.
    • 5/5
      This book, in one form or another, has stayed on my shelf since I was a child. It has wonderful life lessons throughout the story and should be required reading of any child, horse crazy or not. It is a must for any child with a pony. It taught me to be kinder to my ponies. (As a result, they were much kinder to me.)
    • 5/5
      I revisited this classic horse story not knowing what to expect, really. I have found that I can't really trust my childhood memories. In this case, however, the years made no difference. The odd thing I noticed while reading this book was how completely I'd internalized the messages regarding animals and how one should treat them. I know that I must have read this 20 or 30 times before I was 14, but I didn't realize that I was memorizing whole chunks of it and grafting it into my moral code. It's a wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      Black Beauty, a horse, tells about his life beginning as a young colt in the English countryside. Each chapter teaches a moral lesson on topics such as kindness, sympathy, and understanding, all related to the treatment of horses. Black Beauty describes his hard life pulling cabs in London as well as the end of his life and retiring in the country. Although this is a children's novel, the book inspired other works about the cruel treatment of horses and other animals. This is a sad, yet sweet story about the hard life of a horse. I would recommend it to others. It is a true classic and will continue to be loved by generations to come, making us aware that animals have thoughts and feelings too. Children who love animals, especially horses should read this book.
    • 3/5
      It was OK . I found it really hard to understand sometimes. I finally gave up and watched the movie. It's a sweet story but it has too many details.