Black Beauty

by Michael Morpurgo

From the nation's favorite storyteller comes a powerful, moving, and heartwarming retelling of the beloved, unforgettable story of Black Beauty .

A story championing kindness, compassion, and humanity, and a rallying cry for the rights of animals, readers have fallen in love with the story of a horse called Black Beauty for 150 years.

Now, this faithful retelling, beautifully written with Michael Morpurgo's inimitable warmth, offers a new generation of readers the chance to discover this unmissable children's classic.

Illustrated in full color throughout by acclaimed artist Tom de Freston, this stunning new edition will make the perfect gift for the whole family.

Rediscover the extraordinary story of Black Beauty with this brand-new retelling from the award-winning author of War Horse.

Genres: Retellings, Classics

320 pages, Hardcover

Published February 26, 2026

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[whatbooknext · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Beauty wasn’t always called this. Called Star or Blackie before given the name Black Beauty (although he prefers just Beauty), it is also the name he goes back to years later. In between he is given other names as he is sold to different owners.

Beginning in a wealthy, caring, kind home, he is well fed, cared for, spoken to often, and at four years is carefully broken in. After his early years in a meadow with his mother, he has to learn to put up with a metal bit in his mouth, blinkers on his face, and a stiff and heavy collar when hitched to a cart. The sound of the cart wheels unnerve him, but the patience of his master and bond they already have, help Black Beauty to learn.

All of this training is for a reason. He is taken to a new stable where he meets new horse friends Ginger and Merrylegs, and his new master. This home is even better than the first, and Black Beauty learns more about being a working horse – this time pulling a carriage, or enjoying being ridden after being locked in the stables after being used to freedom in the fields.

But alas, it isn’t to stay this way, and Black Beauty has yet another new master. This time it isn’t for the better. He learns about the pain of bearing reins, which are for nothing but looks and vanity of his owner. He experiences drunken riders, inexperienced stable grooms and the uncertainty of being a job horse.

His next owner is a welcome one, with him and his family giving Black Beauty the care he needs. They treat him like a member of their family, and he works hard for them, but never too hard like many other times in his short life.

Again, his circumstances change – due to the thoughtlessness of people he has experienced again and again. Not just to horses but to people as well. Will they ever change?

But maybe, just maybe, there is kindness coming back to him.


This retelling of Anna Sewell’s classic brings Black Beauty to a whole new generation of readers.

Michael Morpurgo’s well loved and gentle style stays true to the 1877 original, but with more modern language. Although more suited to modern young readers, this doesn’t take away the feel of the Victorian England setting in the late 1800’s.

This is a sad story of the life of horses back then, but between the lines is an understanding of the lives of the owners too, and of empathy between horse and human. It emphasises how we can all be better at kindness and compassion, to animals and to each other.

Black Beauty is a window into the time, showing what life was like for people of all walks of life – especially the working class or poor.

Only some of the chapters are named as in the original, but it sticks to the four part tale, told directly to the reader by Black Beauty himself. This viewpoint brings the reader closer to what Black Beauty is experiencing and feeling as a horse through owners good and bad.

Although now thought of as a children’s classic Black Beauty was written by Anna Sewell in sympathy to the terrible treatment of horses she saw around her on an ongoing basis.

This beautiful hardback edition, illustrated by Tom De Freston, is not only for horse lovers, but for children of all ages to enjoy and partake in compassion and understanding. Sticking to Anna Sewell’s moving ending, this retelling is ultimately hopeful for a brave horse.

Author – Anna Sewell
A retelling by Michael Morpurgo
Illustrator – Tom de Freston

Age – 10+

[A.M. Swink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent retelling of Anna Sewell’s original Black Beauty. While it’s admittedly been a while since I read the original as a girl, every part of the story I remembered was here. The good, lovely parts and the heartbreaking, harrowing parts.

The story and all its plot beats are exactly the same and the book is set in the same period. It wouldn’t work as a story in any other era, given the many jobs Beauty holds. One noticeable difference from the original is that none of the other equine characters talk to Beauty - he hears all he needs to from what human characters say to him or in his presence. The language is simplified for the modern reader, making the prose less daunting for today’s youngsters. The illustrations were more modern art than narrative illustrations included in my old Scholastic copy of the original novel. It’s different, and I prefer the older illustrations, but it ultimately doesn’t detract from this lovely new edition of a classic tale.

[Joanne Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Morpurgo has updated the story of Black Beauty, and it was a pleasure to read. Looking forward to sharing this with my daughter as she grows up.

Just a lovely story about kindness and patience told through the experienc of a working horse in Victorian Enfland. We are given a near complete tour the highs and lows of equine life from the relative comfort of a carriage horse in a grand estate to the hardships of cab an cart horses working in the city.

It's not sophisticated, but it's an easy and enjoyable read.

[Kelly Woolerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

so much more depresso than I remembered.