Beautiful Jim: The World's Smartest Horse

by Jodie Parachini, Dragan Kordic (Illustrator)

Overview

Told in the first person as if written by Beautiful Jim himself, this is the story of the sensation in the late 1800s and early 1900s: a horse whose owner, Doc Key, a formerly enslaved man who loved animals, taught to read, write, and do math. Reading Jim's diary and the story, we learn how, together with Doc Key, Jim performed all over the United States, even for two presidents, while promoting kindness to animals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807506110
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	10/01/2021
Series:	Animalographies
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jodie Parachini is an American/British author and editor who currently lives in Hertfordshire, England. Jodie has written fifteen children’s books, including Listening to the Stars, HeroRat!, and Flicker Finds Her Glow. In addition to earning multiple starred reviews for her work, Jodie has been named a finalist in the PBParty competition, the Macmillan Write Now Prize, and the OhZoe Rising Talent Award.

Dragan Kordić is a Croatian illustrator working on children's books and young adult literature. Besides being an art enthusiast, he finds inspiration in exploring nature, traveling, and reading.

Editorial Reviews

"A fascinating story."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2021-08-31
An educated horse tells his own story.

Jim was meant to be a racehorse, but he is born awkward. Jim’s “human,” William “Doc” Key, is a Black man who was born into slavery and educated alongside the White children on the plantation. Jim relates how Doc loved to read about animal medicine and became so skilled at it that he was often called upon to treat animals on farms and even humans. When slavery ended, Doc prospered as a veterinarian. After Jim’s birth in 1889, Doc and his wife notice Jim’s remarkable intelligence, and Doc spends time teaching Jim the alphabet and numbers. Jim learns so many impressive skills that he and Doc take their show on the road and astonish audiences, including presidents and visitors to the 1904 world’s fair. Jim can spell, sort mail, use a telephone, and solve arithmetic problems. But the presentation is not just for show. Doc believes that the only skills needed to train animals are patience and kindness, and he hopes that seeing Jim’s intelligence will influence people to treat animals kindly. The text is written as a first-person narrative from the horse’s point of view, with occasional “diary” entries from particular locations and years. This style works well to draw readers into the story and to reinforce the idea that animals have feelings. The grainy, speckled texture of the illustrations gives them a slightly unfinished appearance, but the settings and characters are endearing and engaging.

A fascinating story. (notes) (Picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews