The Little Black Sambo Story Book

Year Published: 1899
Author: Helen Bannerman & Frank Ver Beck
Edition: 1935
Cover: Hardcover
Publisher: The Platt & Munk Co., Inc.
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: NONE

Controversy: The original drawings in the first edition depicted the main character, Sambo, coming from a Timil heritage of Southern India. As the book grew in popularity it was conterfeited with the art in those books depicting Sambo in the stereotypical style of the day that represented Africans. As those stereotypes fell out of favor with the public the depcitions of old were considered controversial.

Neither the original story nor its illustrations held any racist overtones, but later depictions stained the story's integrity, which was about a boy who overcame certain death when he outsmarted four hungry tigers who began to argue over who looked better in Sambo clothes that the boy had removed. The tigers then chased each other around a tree until they all turned into puddle of clarified butter (ghee), that Sambo's father collects and his mother uses to make pancakes.

This particular book uses the aforementioned stereotypical images.