Smoky falls into the literary tradition of the western novel. Characteristic of its genre are the book's subject matter, cowboys and horses; its strong, silent protagonist; and its easily distinguishable "good guys" and "bad guys."

In addition, the novel functions within the tradition of the modern animal story.

Smoky owes a great deal to the progenitor of that genre, Black Beauty.

Smoky even has the same circular structure as Black Beauty, in which the main character ends up in the same place or set of circumstances in which he begins.

In each novel, the protagonist starts out in pleasant, country surroundings and with kind and knowledgeable handlers.

Both Smoky and Black Beauty later fall into less fortunate circumstances. In the end, both horses are restored to the care of a loving handler in a country setting.

Smoky is written from a third-person omniscient narrator's point of...