The Story of Little Black Sambo
the original version, written and pictured by Helen Bannerman
Scottish author Helen Bannerman wrote and illustrated the book at the end of the 19th century. Initially, she made it for her two daughters while they were living in India, surrounded by numerous black (Tamil) children. The story is supposed to be written while traveling on a train through the country. As a book, it was first published by Grant Richards in 1899. Numerous reprints and rewrites with new illustrations by different publishers and authors followed.
We'll present the story with original illustrations, reprinted in New York by Frederick A. Stokes Company.
Once upon a time, there was a boy called Little Black Sambo.
His mother was Black Mumbo.
And his father was Black Jumbo.
Mother made Little Black Sambo a beautiful red coat.
She also made a pair of blue trousers.
Father bought Little Black Sambo a pair of lovely purple shoes and a green umbrella.
Little Black Sambo felt like the prettiest kid in the jungle!
He went on a walk and met a tiger.
The tiger wanted to eat the boy, but Little black Sambo convinced him to spare his life in exchange for his pretty red coat.
The tiger felt like the most handsome beast in the jungle!
Not long after, Little Black Sambo met another tiger. He intended to eat the boy, too.
The kid traded his pair of blue trousers for his life.
The second tiger was delighted with his new pair of trousers!
Believe it or not, the boy encountered another tiger. Of course, he wanted to eat Little Black Sambo.
Well, he didn't. Instead, the kid gave him a pair of lovely purple shoes.
Yes, the tiger with the shoes was very happy.
Little Black Sambo was still not safe. He met a fourth tiger!
It took a while to pay for his life with a green umbrella. The tiger had to learn how to grab it with his tail.
But then, the tiger believed he was the most important tiger in the jungle!
Little Black Sambo was very sad. He didn't even enjoy his coat, trousers, shoes, and umbrella for a single day.
He was wandering around and suddenly heard something strange.
There, in the clearing under the tree, four tigers argued who was the prettiest in the jungle!
Words were soon not enough anymore. They decided to fight!
They got rid of the clothes, shoes, and umbrella and grabbed each other's tails with their teeth, so they formed a circle around a tree. Nobody wanted to release the other. They were circling faster and faster.
Little Black Sambo was able to safely take his possessions.
He put on his cute red coat, a pair of blue trousers, a pair of purple shoes, and, of course, the green umbrella. He was a very happy child again.
The tigers were still circling. It was almost impossible to see where one of the tigers ends and another begins.
They were circling so fast, they eventually melted into ghee.
Big Jumbo collected the ghee and brought it home.
Big Mumbo used ghee to make a ton of pancakes!
They were sensational. Little Black Sambo ate the greatest share of the pancakes, and this is how the story ends.
***
The Story of Little Black Sambo is essentially a story about bullying. The main character is portrayed as a resourceful kid, and the structure, the dynamics, and the climax are very good.
We can compare Litle Black Sambo with several classic fairy tales:
- Star Money follows a similar structure: a girl is giving her clothes to poor people until she is completely naked. A reward from the stars follows.
- Brave Little Tailor provokes two giants until they start fighting each other. They both die in the fight, and the tailor becomes a hero.
- The feast, following the dangerous journey through the woods, reminds us of the feast from Little Red Riding Hood.
- The importance of clothes as an identification sign resembles the troubles and eventual success of Cinderella.
We could go on and on.
About the controversy
The Story of Little Blac Sambo was initially accepted very positively. It was probably the first book portraying a black kid in a very positive light. He is not presented as a simpleton as most black kids from stories published roughly at the same time. The main objection, which became louder and louder in the next decades, was the stereotypical names of the characters and the illustrations, which are now considered pickaninny (some kind of caricature of colored people with extremely large mouths, for instance).
Before the book was placed on the shelves with banned titles (most of the noise came from the USA), it went through several variations, like Little Black Sambo, illustrated by Florence White Williams. You be the judge.
In our opinion, controversial or not, it's a good story with valuable lessons. It's worth being introduced to children with some reservations depending on the cultural environment and the audience's maturity.