A remarkable celebration from the Caldecott Honor-winning artist! A clever young boy outwits a band of voracious tigers and returns home in triumph to a splendid feast of a yard-high stack of pancakes. The story, penned by Helen Brodie Bannerman for her two daughters in 1889, has captured the imagination of readers around the world and across many generations. But the pictures which accompanied her text were crudely stereotypical and hurtful to many. Caldecott Honor-winning artist Christopher Bing has spent almost fifteen years rediscovering the joy and energy of the original story. He respects that Bannerman was writing in an Indian setting and with Indian animals-after all, there are no tigers in Africa-and faithfully adheres to the original text. However, recognizing that the image of Sambo has been used as a symbol of repression of Africans and African-Americans, Christopher Bing celebrates Sambo as proudly African, a child of beauty and joy, wit and resourcefulness. In recreating the illusion of an antique, weathered, tiger-clawed storybook filled with exquisitely detailed paintings that draw upon a lush jungle-inspired palette, Christopher Bing s interpretation of Sambo s world seamlessly melds a grand sense of wonder with the minutiae of nature, and a story with history.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Be ready to wait for this item Comment: I ordered this item in December, it is now June ... be advised, you'll have to wait more than 1-3 months for this item. Customer Rating: Summary: A Clever boy Comment: This book is beautifully made, and features a strong, clever boy of color who gets gifts from his parents, outwits the tigers, and feeds his family by his cleverness. I have liked every book Christopher Bing has worked on, and think this is one of the best. I am certain I do not want to perpetuate a stereotype or raise my children with any racism, but I do no think that this incarnation of the book does that. Customer Rating: Summary: great Comment: My kids love it just like I did and it arrived quickly and in good condition. Customer Rating: Summary: beautiful edition Comment: gorgeous illustrations and great font. my grandchild (not yet three) was spellbound. Customer Rating: Summary: Little Black Sambo with illustrations by Bing Comment: I saw this book in a bookstore this summer. I have been getting other editions from England to give to children as gifts. This is a magnificent book with great illustrations by Bing. I have read the other reviews and trust me that this story stands on its own to delight children. When I taught second grade the class loved to hear it. It is not racist in the least.Sambo worries that he will get into trouble when he loses all his new clothes. And children relate to getting into trouble with their parents. He uses his head to outwit the tigers and children naturally indentify with him; like they do with other hero figures in books and television and movies. He has a loving home with two parents who sit down with him to enjoy a wonderful pancake breakfast at the end of the story. Little Black Sambo is a story of a timeless hero! Stop worrying that the setting is India and the child looks African for Pete`a sake! Its FICTION!! Children don`t care about such picky details! This story has been delighting children for generations. Adults should go find something else to stew about!
