alexsiddall's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it then. I still like it - with the sort of reservations you'd expect.
virginiacjacobs's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book because it's on a lot of banned book lists and I always like to see what gets other peoples' panties in a bunch. And honestly, the only thing I could think of is that it takes place in India, but the characters are described as "black." And in the illustrations, it looks like the faces were colored in with the brown crayola marker.
Really, I was slightly more concerned by the running tigers turning into butter than any of the human characters.
**Hang on** I just read some other reviews and learned that "Sambo" was a racist term (I guess it still is?). I had no idea. Seriously. No. Idea. I'm not more alarmed by my own ignorance than anything going on in this book.
Really, I was slightly more concerned by the running tigers turning into butter than any of the human characters.
**Hang on** I just read some other reviews and learned that "Sambo" was a racist term (I guess it still is?). I had no idea. Seriously. No. Idea. I'm not more alarmed by my own ignorance than anything going on in this book.
idgey's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
emmarj's review against another edition
I think this would have been a fun story but I got my copy from the library and big chunks of pages were torn out. First, we were introduced to Babaji. Then he has clothes. Then he has no clothes. Then tigers have each other's tails in their mouths. Then there are lots of pancakes! The end! /headscratch
shanny1366's review against another edition
2.0
The whole time I was reading this book, I felt mildly uncomfortable at the names of all of the characters. Do we really have to iterate in every line that they are black? Also, is the name Sambo really a good choice? And why is this little black boy running around in India? I was not familiar with the story or its history until I read the pages in the very back of the book.
The answer to all of my questions is that this story was originally written in the 1800s by a white woman, who apparently didn't know (or care) that not all dark-skinned people are the same. The note says that the previous illustrations were all incredibly racist (no big surprise there, considering the time period).
The illustrations in this edition are absolutely gorgeous, and I understand that this is an attempt to take back the story from its racist past. However, I do still feel that this story is problematic, and would only encourage using it if you are ready to have a heavy discussion about the history of racism, colonialism, and stereotyping.
The answer to all of my questions is that this story was originally written in the 1800s by a white woman, who apparently didn't know (or care) that not all dark-skinned people are the same. The note says that the previous illustrations were all incredibly racist (no big surprise there, considering the time period).
The illustrations in this edition are absolutely gorgeous, and I understand that this is an attempt to take back the story from its racist past. However, I do still feel that this story is problematic, and would only encourage using it if you are ready to have a heavy discussion about the history of racism, colonialism, and stereotyping.
lagobond's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a little ray of sunshine. Yes I'm aware of [b:The Story of Little Black Sambo|146665|The Story of Little Black Sambo|Helen Bannerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347234741l/146665._SX50_.jpg|870803]'s racist history. For sure, those earlier editions need to not be in children's lives except to teach about racism. Now I don't know how this new edition with its new illustrations would be received by people from India, perhaps it too is racist? But since I can't know the answer to that, all I can judge this new edition by is my own perception of it, and I believe that the pictures were drawn with love, not with condescension or a racist attitude. I also believe that the story itself was written with love for children. I adore "The Story of Little Babaji" because it makes me smile. That said, if someone from India told me that this book is insulting, I would definitely reconsider my position.
This story is filled with familial love, resourcefulness in the face of adversity, plenty of whimsy, and gentle triumph. The language flows beautifully and is made for reading out loud to gleeful little ones. The illustrations are so gorgeous that I've added all of [a:Fred Marcellino|284545|Fred Marcellino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615912431p2/284545.jpg]'s other books to my TBR. There's just enough detail and color to evoke warm, happy feelings, without cluttering the pages. The characters' body language and facial expressions are marvelous. The proud, goofy, cross-eyed tigers are a masterpiece. The small hardcover is pleasant to pick up and hold, and the green crepe paper is a fabulous touch. I would happily read this to little kids.
This story is filled with familial love, resourcefulness in the face of adversity, plenty of whimsy, and gentle triumph. The language flows beautifully and is made for reading out loud to gleeful little ones. The illustrations are so gorgeous that I've added all of [a:Fred Marcellino|284545|Fred Marcellino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615912431p2/284545.jpg]'s other books to my TBR. There's just enough detail and color to evoke warm, happy feelings, without cluttering the pages. The characters' body language and facial expressions are marvelous. The proud, goofy, cross-eyed tigers are a masterpiece. The small hardcover is pleasant to pick up and hold, and the green crepe paper is a fabulous touch. I would happily read this to little kids.
heisereads's review against another edition
1.0
Read for MLIS grad class on multicultural children's literature looking at stereotyping and (mis-)representation.
pamelajobrownlee's review against another edition
5.0
Kept the sweetness of the original story, while making it actually more authentic and less problematic. Well done.
libraryrobin's review against another edition
3.0
Not the same story I read as a child. I doubt that any library lends the one I'm looking for, it may have been a Golden Book. I never thought of the story as disparaging, I just liked when the tigers turned into butter.
libraryrobin's review
5.0
It had me at Babaji. This book contains many of the same story elements that I remember from my childhood: a smart little boy meets tigers, they run around a tree as he hides, they turn into butter and he eats it on his pancakes. In a great oral tradition, my grandmother told me the Little Black Sambo version this story. I don't think we had a printed version but I absolutely love the illustrations in this book.