Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. Whilst young he is given the freedom to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. After a number of years his kind owners are forced to sell him and Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labour and cruelty. He is a brave horse and works as hard as he can but he suffers at the hands of men who treat animals badly. However Black Beauty has an unbreakable spirit and will, and is determined to survive...

Beautifully read by Martin Jarvis this is an absorbing story to listen to and is well suited to audio. I wasn't a fan of Black Beauty as a child and could not understand the fascination. Whilst I did enjoy listening to this CD I would strongly recommend it only for those who have a love of animals and in particular horses. The story of bravery in the face of untold hardship  provides a fascinating insight into the possible thoughts of animals regarding their owners and the way in which they are treated.

Martin Jarvis treats his reading of the story with a great gentleness, handling each of the characters with a sensitivity borne of many years as an actor on the stage. He seems to be able to construe to the listener the feelings of the characters through his tone of voice alone and this makes for an audio CD which is easy to listen to and absorbing. It is well paced and would be ideal for young readers struggling with the text who decide to listen and read at the same time. Each chapter is a separate track making it easy to stop and return to the CD at any time. I would highly recommend this story to horse and animal fans.The story that has stood the test of time and which deserves to grace the shelves of libraries at home and school.

This story might be read alongside Michael Morpurgo's War Horse.

2008-04-10