[In "Son of the Black Stallion"] we meet the foal of the Black Stallion which, sent to Alec Ramsay by the Sheikh Abu Ja Kub ben Ishak, reveals the same savage tendencies his sire exhibited. At the very outset the colt presents a problem to Henry Dailey, erstwhile trainer of the Black. Appropriately named Satan, he turns Dailey against him by throwing and injuring Alec during a training session…. This and many other problems faced Alec before he could race Satan—but race him he did, thus providing a fitting climax for a thrill-packed book.
The story of a boy's steady faith and devotion is portrayed with a depth of feeling that reveals the author's own love for horses. [The story is accurate] in detail, even down to listing for Satan in the Stud Book of Arabia…. Undistinguished from a literary standpoint, the story follows in the action-crammed tradition of its predecessors.
William Glick, "For Younger Readers: 'Son of the Black Stallion'," in The New York Times Book Review (© 1947 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), November 2, 1947, p. 37.
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