Customer Reviews

The Story of Little Black Sambo

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I remember reading this book as a child and loving the great exciting story. It just so happens that I grew up in Bangladesh which used to be part of India. I knew about the jungle, I knew about the tigers. I had inherited this book from my parents and grandparents and found it a delightful tale, quite similar to some of the Bengalis folk tales. My brother's best friend (Nazrul Islam was his given name)had the nickname by his family and friends of Kalo (in bangla it means black) because he had midnight dark skin. He was a terribly good looking boy (I had a small crush on him as a child) and never once did I or anyone else think of his nickname as degrading or insulting. He was just Kalo. When I returned to the US years later I was shocked to find that my little story book was the center of a great racial controversy. It was so crazy. It was a little book from India where some lady used the local customs and tales to write a story. When people criticize the book for being racist, all they are really doing is criticizing the culture of India. People are given Nicknames as descriptives in the Indian subcontinent. My nickname was Mamonie (little one). It just boggles my mind that people can find horror in even the most innocent simple things. And for those people who claim racism, watch yourself. For you are showing yourself biased against the culture of other people!

Wonderful children's book and one I've heard and read over and over when I was young - glad it's back in print.

As a child I marveled at Sambo's ingeniousness in outsmarting the tigers and, in fact, maybe even being smarter than some adults. It never occurred to me that the parents names might be derogatory, if anything the names sounded exotic: Black Jumbo and Black Mumbo. Children are innocent and see things in a clean, clear manner. Whatever is considered "bad" in this book is the manufacture of over-sensitive adults.

This is a great classic and belongs in every library along with Grimm's Fairy Tales and Aesop Fables. One can revisit the magic of childhood through "Little Black Sambo".

The story of little black Sambo is truly a classic from all who remember it from our childhood.Helen Bannerman wrote this story for her two little children while traveling with them by train across India. If people would LOOK AT THE ILLUSTRATIONS they would see that Sambo is a little Indian boy from India, continents away from America and the Cival war and or South. I ran 2 independant bookstores some 12 to 14 years ago and when I finally found THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO in print again I'd order maybe 60 copies a week and could not keep this wonderful little storybook in stock. Almost every buyer were grandparents who could not wait to introduce their grandchildren to a book we all knew and loved. It is a must have for all collectors of wonderful literature!

I recall Little Black Sambo from my childhood as well. My Aunt worked as a domestic for a Jewish household and they would give her their children's discarded playthings to take to her nephews. Little Black Sambo was among the offerings. I remember reading with fascination the story of this child and I knew nothing at the time of its racist connotations. Unfortunately, despite the denial of some of the prior reviewers, it cannot be ignored that this book might be considered offensive to some. Just like the black lawn jockeys that were so popular at one time, and the Aunt Jemima pancake box before they took the bandana off of her head, these icons represent post cival rights era reality. I supppose some of you see nothing wrong with the Little Rascal character Farina with the rags tied in his head, or Buckweat either. I would not advocate banning any of the aforementioned symbols, because I think they should be cherished as a sign of just how far we've come. I have mammy salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars, etc., because as a Black man in America, I want to remember and cherish the past. If I find the version of this book I had as child in which Sambo was jet black with white eyes and huge red lips, I'd add it to my collection in a heartbeat!

Yes, I know this story is no longer PC, but I loved this story growing up. I downloaded it to my Kindle the other day to read to my daughter and she liked it. It's a quick little read and you can't complain about the price! The moral of this story is just a basic life lesson... Bad people will eventually get what they deserve. I had also wikipedia the author and read it to my daughter so that she would understand why the characters where named they way they are.

Cretins have deprived children of this classic for too long. The story of Sambo and his clever triumph over adversity with the stubborn tigers is a perfect metaphor for this original work's welcome reappearance and widespread acclaim. The illustrations are charming and simple, with bright high-contrast colors, like a child's 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 Sambo to beat those tigers, get his clothes back, and eat those pancakes!

My wife and I couldn't agree more that fortitude, perseverence, and a little luck, and our children's resulting laughter and joy, are the only ideas that are advanced with this marvelous story.

I remember this book from my childhood and am so happy it is still in print. I had figured it had been "sanitized" out of existence. I was a white child in a black country, and remember reading this book with other children. It was a beautiful tale about Sambo's adventures with tigers, and a wonderous finding of butter! Heck, we didn't know being different colors was a big deal til some paranoid adult told us so. Let kids retain their innocence, and let them dream of tiger butter.

I LOVE SAMBO! My Grandmother read it to me when I was a child, she is gone now but when I see the words on the page I can hear her voice in my head. Sambo is NOT racist. Sambo, as viewed from a child, is black(check your crayola's), he is brave, he lived a long time ago when there was no TV. How many parents have put new clothes on their children and told them to keep them nice and clean. Sambo lived in a different country then then I do, his life, culture, were different. Let us embrace that Sambo has fears and can be brave, and is smart enough as a little kid to outwit those tigers. I viewed him as a hero (in the late 70's) and now I believe he is a hero to my children.
Give kids a little credit they know things change and were different before they were born. The original is the way to go, it is a magical story. Don't forget it is a STORY, meant to entertain children, and it does it's job, very, very well.

Digging through an old box, I found my tiny, tattered little book of Little Black Sambo, which is very old as it was my dad's before mine! I LOVED this book as a child, I am 30 now, and can't wait to share it with my own children. I remember just staring at the brilliantly colored illustrations and being entranced by the whole story line---even a little scared at the tigers! I really did wonder if tigers running in circles could make butter and I even think I asked my dad if it was real!

I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised to see that you can still purchase this book, although in the original format I have no idea. It is too bad that libraries would think to ban a book like this----I am a "white" person who is totally colorblind and I have to say that reading and loving Little Black Sambo as a child never made me want to be racist or gave me racist thoughts. It is a work of fiction, and even as a child I knew that it was just a story.

Anyways--this is a great read for grownups and for reading to little ones--and it is a good thing, I guess, that you can also purchase a politically correct version to share with children of any color also--because the story line is the fun part of the book.

KT

I loved this book as a child and my kids have also loved it. I have a later addition but I am forever looking for the Golden Book version I had when I was little! I see no reason why this book was banned from some schools when everyone I've ever met has loved the story for its contents!