Black Beauty is perhaps the most beloved horse of all time. The book named for him holds a special place in our hearts because it is narrated by Black Beauty himself, giving us impressive insight into how a horse might really feel.

Readers follow Black Beauty’s life from joy-filled foal to beleaguered workhorse to restful retiree. The book, which sheds light on the mistreatment of animals in the late 1800s, served as a catalyst for new laws that protected horses. But it was also Anna Sewell’s story.

Sewell was born in Great Yarmouth, England. She enjoyed a pleasant childhood until age 14, when she injured both her ankles in a fall. These injuries led to a debilitating condition that limited her mobility for the rest of her life. But in a way, this was her first gift. Relying on horses as her mode of transportation put her in close contact with these wonderful animals. She was seen often in horse-drawn carriages and occasionally on their backs.

This intimate association deepened her empathy for these animals and contributed to the profound tenderness in her writing.

Toward the end of her life, Sewell struggled to even sit up for long periods of time. She embarked on writing as a way to pass the time. As she focused her work on the animals she had come to love, she hit upon the idea that a horse’s story is best told by the horse itself. And what better story than the entire life of Black Beauty, narrated by an empathetic voice that understood adversity as well as kindness, work and well-earned rest, abuse as well as love?

Sewell passed away just five months after the publication of “Black Beauty.” She never saw how the book would endure for generations, with tattered copies passed on from mothers to daughters and fathers to sons. Fifty million copies have been sold, and countless hearts have been touched.

For Sewell, being able to put emotions into words was the balm needed for an ailing heart and the invisible bulwark against depression. Sewell’s gift to us is her ability to make her life worth living. She taught us this lesson through the thoughts of a horse that understood the heartbreak of separation from loved ones, the physical abuse of a cruel world, and the tender, loving touch of the angels in our lives.

“It is good people who make good places,” Black Beauty tells us.

For Sewell, the reward was the writing itself. For us, it is the moments curled up with the little ones we love — and more deeply understanding the emotions we share by reading about a horse that is really all of us.

The Foundation for a Better Life promotes positive values to live by and pass along to others. Go to PassItOn.com.