Customer Reviews

Story of Little Black Mingo

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This is an excellent book. Cretins have deprived children of the works of Helen Bannerman for too long. Her classic story of "Little Black Sambo" is improved upon here, this time our heroine is Mingo, a put upon girl who lives with a wicked woman who beats her. She is ordered to gather water, and a huge mugger (crocodile) captures her and puts her on an island as a feast for her babies. Even in her trials, Mingo kindly helps another animal in distress, a clever Mongoose who becomes her friend. Together they devise a plan to escape the hungry crocodile, and through a happy mixture of luck and fortitude they escape, and set up a new household without the wicked woman or pesky crocodiles. The illustrations are charming and simple, with bright high-contrast colors, like a child' view of the world.

I suppose the US government and the Census would classify us as a mixed race household, but my children, wife, and I are only reminded of it (and offended by it) when we come across the increasingly rare person who can't get past thinking of people first and foremost as colors, rather than using color only to help in a person's description, as is the case with the characters and narrative in this book.

And our children love it, this is a top pick when they choose a book themselves. We've never had any "black" or "white" questions from any of our kids from reading it, they simply want Mingo to get beat that hungry crocodile, outwit the wicked old woman, and then enjoy a happy new life with her new friend the Mongoose. Our whole family could not be more charmed by this delightful world.

Another great children tale that should be read by people. along side with fairy tales and folklores.

It's a story about a little orphaned black girl named Little Black Mingo, who is unfortunate enough to lived with a horrid abusive old woman named Black Noggy, who made her do impossible chores. In perfoming one of the chores, she was kidnapped by a mugger (crocodile) and it brought her to a faraway island where her little eggs were. There Little Black Mingo met the Mongoose who drove the mugger mad in rage by eating its eggs. The Mugger tried alot of ways to keep the mongoose away but he failed. It even chased them back to Little Black Mingo's home, but end up blown into bits with Black Noggy. Care to read how that happened personally? ^_~

...and no, it's not racist! Quite scary story of poor little Mingo, sent to the river by nasty Noggy to fetch water, where the crocodile gets her and puts her on an island next to a pile of its eggs ('tomorrow a little mugger will come out of each and then we will have a great feast and eat you up'). But a mongoose eats the eggs and eventually the mugger ends up swallowing Noggy who was just coming home with a tin of kerosene. Being dark inside, Noggy lights a match, but the kerosene takes hold and BANG! the best picture in the book with mugger and Noggy blown to bits. Happy ending: 'and Mingo and her friend the mongoose would sit on the mugger's head and take tea every evening'.
I've got the 1964 edition which has lovely color print

I think this story would scare young children as it was about aligators pursuing people and eating them. I was mildly amused as an adult, but would steer clear of this for youngsters.