An uncommonly spirited and proud horse, Black Beauty leaves the safety of his first home, little guessing that an adventure awaits him as he passes through the hands of many owners, some of them quite cruel. Unusually for the era, the novel is told from the horse's point of view, offering meaningful insight into humankind's often exploitive treatment of animals. Bound in a beautiful cloth edition with foil stamping on the front, Anna Swell's 1877 classic for readers 9 to 12 is wonderfully complemented by Rachel Clowes's illustrations.