The Story of Little Black Sambo (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Illustrator) "ONCE upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo..." (more)
Key Phrases: Little Black Sambo, Blue Trousers, Red Coat

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The jolly and exciting tale of the little boy who lost his red coat and his blue trousers and his purple shoes but who was saved from the tigers to eat 169 pancakes for his supper, has been universally loved by generations of children. First written in 1899, the story has become a childhood classic and the authorized American edition with the original drawings by the author has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Little Black Sambo is a book that speaks the common language of all nations, and has added more to the joy of little children than perhaps any other story. They love to hear it again and again; to read it to themselves; to act it out in their play.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 1, 1923)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0397300069
• ISBN-13: 978-0397300068
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,278 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #11 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural
  #22 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > African-American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sanity reigns over "political correctness", May 4, 2000

By	L D Lucia (USA) - See all my reviews

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".

65 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars crazy people, June 16, 2005

By	T. Cernetic "mkpdluv" (Cedarville, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LET'S NEVER LOSE THE CLASSICS, October 9, 2000

By	"philherb2mooski5" (Montana) - See all my reviews

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!