From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 4-Despite the controversy surrounding Bannerman's racially insensitive choice of names and style of illustration for her 1899 book, Little Black Sambo perseveres in print and in the memories of adults who encountered the tale as children. Whereas Julius Lester (Sam and the Tigers [Dial, 1996]) casts Sam as a hero of the American South, and Fred Marcellino places The Story of Little Babaji (HarperCollins, 1996) in India, Bing affirms Bannerman's text and the incongruities inherent in fantasy. His African child lives in India where those infamous tigers want to eat him up-until each receives a portion of his new outfit. This is vintage Bing. The book has a weathered look, including the illusion of ripped seams and folded, yellowed pages. The danger, however, is palpable from the outset: the linen and gilt cover bears the deep, jagged imprint of a claw. Each double-page painting is framed in black and infused with golden light. The glow emanates from the sun, the tigers, the domes-foreshadowing the brilliance of that "lovely melted butter." Pen and ink are applied meticulously to skin, fur, and landscape, creating a rich overall texture and depth; the areas of unadulterated color provide the magical aura. Endpapers decorated with newspaper clippings, postcards, maps, shadow puppets, and other realia provide an in-depth history of the story and the particulars of this version. Some adults will no doubt continue to debate the use of Sambo. Children will be dazzled and delighted by the turn of events depicted here.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist
Gr. 4-up. It's a great story, told with rhythm and excitement, that has thrilled generations of children since it was first published in 1899. Bing's new illustrations, in bright jungle colors with pen-and-ink crosshatching, are beautiful, big, and dramatic, showing a smart, contemporary African kid in India defeating those vain, huge, scary tigers. But the name in the title and on nearly every page has long been considered an insult and continues to be associated with gross racist caricature. It's hard to get past that. Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney altered the name in their retelling, Sam and the Tigers (1996). Bing chose not to do that, and his version has already garnered lots of publicity. At least one library has been asked to remove the book from its collection, and there's lots of debate from scholars on both sides of the issues, with questions covering everything from "How does the controversy relate to the arguments over Huck Finn's use of the 'n-word?'" and "Is the debate only about intellectual freedom?" to "Is this really a story for preschoolers today?" The endpapers present an interesting history of the book's publication and the ongoing debate, and it may be readers who can talk about that history and about whether the great new illustrations make up for that name who will be the audience here. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
