Little Black Sambo

By Helen Bannerman

The Story of Little Black Sambo is a children's book written and illustrated by Scottish author Helen Bannerman, and first published by Grant Richards in October 1899 as one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children. The story was a children's favorite for more than half a century but would become a victim of allegations of racism in the mid-20th century. Critics of the time observed that Bannerman presents one of the first black heroes in children's literature and regarded the book as positively portraying black characters in both the text and pictures, especially in comparison to the more negative books of that era that depicted blacks as simple and uncivilized. Both text and illustrations have undergone considerable revision since.

• Language: English
• Publisher: anboco
• Release date: Aug 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9783736409309

Book preview

Reviews for Little Black Sambo

[Michael Greiner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Realizing that the ignorant age we live in will refuse to see anything here than the word "black," and write off this book as racist, my granddaughter delighted as I read it to her. Sambo is a sympathetic character, outsmarting tigers. She likes that. The illustrations and pacing of this little story are excellent. The father and mother are loving and good. Great little children's story from days of old.

[Emily · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cute book! And nothing racist in it. We all enjoyed it ?