Book Analysis

Title: Little Black Sambo

Author:Helen Bannerman

Illustrated by: Florence White Williams

 Published by:Grant Richards in October 1899

Description:The story is about a boy named Sambo. His mother Black Mumbo made him a red coat and pair of little blue trousers. His dad Black Jumbo bought him a green umbrella on Bazaar and a pair of purple shoes. Little Black Sambo put his clothes on, and went in the jungle. While he was walking he met a Tiger, who wanted to "eat him up", but Sambo offered him his blue trausers, so hi does not eat him, and Tiger agreed.Later he met another Tiger, he wanted also to "eat him up" but he offered him his purple shoes, and Tiger accepted too. Also, he gave his umbrella to another Tiger for the same reason. When he ran out of clothes he started crying, on his way tigers were roaring, and he climbed up the tree to escape.While tigers were angry, they got caught on their tails and ran around the tree and melted into butter. Boy Sambo took his clothing, and later, his father, Black Jumbo, took melted butter, then he brought home to Black Mumbo to cook.

Analysis:This book shows racist subjects. The characters (Sambo,Black Mumbo and Black Jumbo) in the book are described as a  typical "pica-ninny"caricatures and the author used a wrong approach in their representation by depicting the characters in a stereotypical manner. The main question is why the story takes place in India with tigers and palm trees, and she used the word "ghi"which in Indian translates to "butter",but the characters are stereotypical black Africans? These two combinations do not represent culture in a right way and make the story counterproductive and confusing for the readers.

The book is stereotypical, the mother is presented in typical African clothing,working and making children's clothes (bright and colorful colors are considered as Africans favorites), and father was laying and smoking tobacco pipe. The illustrations are hugely racist, as are characters and names (Sambo, Black Mumbo and Black Jumbo).The boy's name, and also title of the book "Sambo" represents racial term that was mainly used in the slavery era.
The power in the story belongs to a boy called Sambo. He was able to use his cleverness to save himself from tigers, by tricking them in every way he could think of. "And Little Black Sambo said, "Oh! Please, Mr. Tiger, don't eat me up and I'll give you my beautiful Green Umbrella." But the Tiger said, "How can I carry an umbrella when I need all my paws for walking with?""You could tie a knot on your tail, and carry it that way," said Little Black Sambo(February 22, 2006 [EBook #17824] ).
At the end of the story, tiger's behaviour caused them to lose all the clothes they got from Sambo and turn into a butter, and Sambo's behavior and patience has won him his clothes back and lots of butter for his mom to cook with."And they still ran faster and faster and faster, till they all just melted away, and then there was nothing left but a great big pool of melted butter (or "ghi" as it is called in India) round the foot of the tree"(February 22, 2006 [EBook #17824] ).

The author is a young Scottish who Lived in India, and she is outside of the group that she presented. Since she lived in India, she knew the differences between African and Indian people and their culture, but she decided to mix them up in the story.

I would not recommend this book to children, teachers and parents. I didn't like how the author represented African people,  and the fact that she used "Sambo" as a main charcter's name.Even though Sambo was a clever boy who outsmarted the tigers and became a winner at the end, this book can still be offensive and can bring embarrassment to some African-American children, and can have a negative impact on their self-image.

Resources

The Story of Little Black Sambo

E book: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17824/17824-h/17824-h.htm (acquired 10/09/14) 
Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Little_Black_Sambo (acquired 10/10/14)
http://longislandbookcollectors.com/2013/%EF%BB%BFbanned-from-american-
bookshelves-the-story-of-little-black-sambo (acquired 10/11/14)

http://www.enotes.com/topics/little-black-sambo#summary-the-work