Is Black Beauty Appropriate For Children And What Age?

Question

Parents debating if Black Beauty suits younger kids due to the horse's hardships and sad themes. What age handles those emotional scenes best?

Frances Racy-Moore · Answer

'Black Beauty' is a classic children’s book and generally suitable for children from 8 years and upwards. ‘Teach me, Mr Blackwood’ is a recent read of mine, a novel that explores the student-mentor relationship in a very engaging manner. A young woman struggles with the strict and enigmatic Tutor Mr. Blackwood, who tests her to her limits in the most challenging of lessons. The struggles of both student and mentor to come to terms with each other, and to derive any intellectual benefit from their rare encounters, is compelling.

Andrew · Answer

I've experienced 'Black Beauty' connecting with children in many different ways. A 9-13 year old curious reader who begins to realize that books can be sad and teach us things would really benefit from this story. Older teens can appreciate the historical voice of Black Beauty as well as the moral questions that are asked throughout the story. Children under the age of 10 need to read this with a parent/career as there are scenes of animals being mistreated as well as some characters dying. Work through the book with your child and have discussions about how the main characters are treated by humans and how your child would treat a horse. The story can be very educational and help children understand more about empathy and how animals should be treated. There are many versions of 'Black Beauty' including a kid-friendly retelling that would be a great starting point for younger children before reading the original story.

Robert · Answer

I consider Black Beauty a gentle but serious book to read with children who can think about the consequences of actions towards others. For children to read on their own, I would say 8-12 years old, but younger children can read an illustrated version or abridged version with parental reading. The original is written a long time ago and can be somewhat old fashioned for some readers. Many modern translations and even some adaptations have been written to make the book more accessible.

Some content to be aware of: Scenes of animals being abused, mistreated and in some cases suffering greatly. These are sad scenes and younger or more sensitive children may be upset by them. However, they can be used as the basis for some good conversations about how we might feel if we were in their shoes and how we can treat all animals with respect. It might also be worth discussing the historical context of the book and how animals were once viewed. There are also many animated films and children’s versions of Black Beauty which would be suitable for younger children. These could be read with your child before moving on to the original version.

Isaiah · Answer

I read ‘Black Beauty’ to a little kid who loved animals on rainy afternoons. I didn’t intend to explore any major issues with the book but instead it evoked a lot of strong feelings. At first, little ones can become very attached to a narrator and in this case, his honesty, calmness and observant nature meant we talked about issues of fairness and quiet courage. Later on, little ones can move on to a short illustrated version of ‘Black Beauty’ and then gradually work towards reading the full text as they get used to the older language. Children aged 7-10 can read short retellings or even an animated version whilst pre-teens (11-14) can read the original for themselves with minimal shocks.

For sensitive children, it may be disturbing to read about the various types of abuse, as well as some of the losses that occur in the lives of the characters. However, these events are recounted honestly but sensitively. I have mentioned that some scenes are very sad before reading them, and I give children time to process and discuss these scenes before moving on to others. Supplementing Black Beauty with some of these alternatives can be very helpful in furthering the lessons of kindness found in this novel, and in preparing children to deal with some of the more difficult scenes and the subsequent feelings that they evoke.

Uma · Answer

I get a little choked up thinking of ‘Black Beauty’. The book is so gentle and true. First written in the Victorian era, it is told by the horse himself and children can get close to understanding kindness and also cruelty to animals. I would recommend this book for children aged 8-12. Those younger, 5-7 years old, could enjoy reading it to them as a story or an illustrated version. The original book contains some scenes that could be disturbing to younger children and so might need some explanation and defense of why some humans treat animals poorly and also why it is so important for children to learn of compassion, responsibility and of standing up for animals.

Of course, there are many versions of Black Beauty including a full-text read-aloud version of Black Beauty, abridged editions of Black Beauty and even movies based on Black Beauty that can be used as stepping stones to this wonderful heart of the book which is to stand up for animals and practice kindness to all creatures. These issues can be dealt with in elementary and middle-school readers and discussed in subsequent lessons.

Gail Sequin · Answer

I’d also like to discuss the audiobook versions of this book. I think it’s very important to choose a good narrator. Some can make a story seem so much more tragic while others can make it seem less sad. For younger readers I would search for a narrated version that is more gentle and warm and thus more appropriate for younger readers. In fact a mature six year old would enjoy this on a long car journey and would benefit from having a calm and steady guide to help through the more difficult parts of the book. Audiobooks are not just for older children and in fact for children under nine I would recommend an audio version with careful choice of narrator. The narrator’s voice can especially in the harder moments be kind to the child.

erica.murciano · Answer

I just noticed that the lessons in this book can be so clearly applied to how we treat people too and not just animals. The judging by appearance, the gentle communication, the damage done by ignorance... it's all here. Reading this as an adult has been wonderful.

Mat Jue · Answer

I’m a children’s librarian and this book is one that we recommend frequently. Typically we recommend it for grades 3-5, or ages 8-11. This is for advanced readers or for reading aloud to younger students. Older students can read this independently. We also typically suggest that parents read this book with their children and that there be a discussion guide available to them as well. The power of this book comes from discussion and exploring questions such as Why did that man use the bearing rein? What would have happened differently if…? How do we see these same attitudes today? With appropriate support for students of this age, this book is profoundly and highly recommended. Without discussion, however, it is just another sad horse story. The age of the reader is less important than that they have an engaged adult to explore the book with.

rimmel60seconds · Answer

Watch a film version of Robin Hood as a scaffold to reading the book. The best adaptation to show children of 6-7 years old is probably the 1994 version with Sean Bean. He makes a rather gentle hero of the man and softens many of the sharp edges of the original story. Children who have enjoyed the film at an early age will approach the book at 8-9 years of age with a sense of familiarity and affection. They will already know the main plot and be reassured by the happy ending. The book provides much more detail of the story as well as the unique perspective of telling the story from the hero’s point of view. The children’s earlier experience of the film can make the literary experience less disturbing and therefore more enjoyable for them. So it is possible that children could read the book at a younger age than might normally be considered appropriate.

Onyx Bandiola · Answer

For modern comparison, consider the other animal stories currently being read by kids today. ‘War Horse’ for instance is probably even more distressing than ‘Black Beauty’ and is aimed at roughly the same age group. ‘The One and Only Ivan’ looks at animals in captivity and neglected animals. ‘Black Beauty’ is actually less graphic than many current children’s novels and is all implied. So by current children’s literature standards ‘Black Beauty’ is a 8-12 read. If your child is reading modern children’s fiction then they will have read other books carrying similar emotional weight to ‘Black Beauty’. Shelter animals, or wildlife in survival situations for instance. So if they can read about those situations then they will cope with the journey of ‘Black Beauty’.

bnmmnbb53 · Answer

My son is autistic. He is very very fair. He read Black Beauty when he was 9 years old and was so inspired by the story that he immediately became passionate about justice and was thrilled that there was a story that was so clearly laid out in terms of cause and effect – that being cruel to animals leads to their suffering and that being kind to animals leads to their peace. This book did not traumatize him. Instead it galvanized him. He immediately began making posters about animal welfare. Therefore, for children of developmental ages less than their chronological ages, or children who process emotions in a very logical manner, or children with very strong interests (in this case, animals) books such as this can be suitable for them at ages before which most others would consider them. This book provides a very clear and moral framework for making sense of injustice. It was the right book at the right time for my son, even though it contained many sad moments.

Is Black Beauty Appropriate For Children And What Age?

11 Answers

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