Reviews for Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'

The average rating for Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo' based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-06-16 00:00:00 sbsmwra YgKMkJmMZwOVXZRqRG First things first - this is, as the title makes clear, a retelling of Little Black Sambo. If you're interested in a retelling that's closer to the original (it's the same text, but with modern illustrations and different names) try The Tale of Little Babaji. Having read the original text of Little Black Sambo (which is hardly banned - you can find it at Project Gutenberg online), and the text of Little Babaji, I can see why people liked it. Aside from the unfortunate names and illustrations, it's a cute story. It is! As the author and illustrator note in their foreword and afterword, the author never meant to write a racist story and you're not racist if you loved hearing it from your mom when you were a kid. (Those same foreword and afterword informed me that there are over FIFTY versions of the "original" Little Black Sambo, with 50 different sets of illustrations. Must have been a really popular book.) At home, we have a copy of Little Babaji, and a copy of Sam and the Tigers. (We also have read 5 versions of Cinderella, 2 of Seven in one Blow, 4 of Rapunzel, 3 of Hansel and Gretel, 2 of The Gingerbread Man, and 2 of Rumpelstiltskin. But who's counting?) Any story which has existed long enough to enter into the public domain is going to find itself with multiple tellings. This is a good thing - everybody in the world alters stories to suit their tastes. We all read the same book, but we get different messages out of it. I love it! And you know what else I love? I love this version. The original is a cute story, but this version expands upon it and fleshes things out better. Sam has a bit of attitude, something I always appreciate in my storybook characters. Sam's parents being named Sam and Sam makes for a couple of funny pages in the start of the book. The neighbors talking about the tigers' mysterious disappearance makes me giggle. In truth, this is a superior story. Not because it's "more PC", but because there's just more detail and more STORY there (and you can't beat those illustrations!) So before you get your knee-jerk reaction of "OMG THEY RUINED IT!" (or maybe "OMG THE ORIGINAL WAS A HORROR, WHY DO THIS???") try it out with open eyes. Pretend it's a brand-new book - and maybe you'll like it after all. (If not - go to google and get a printer. Honestly, nothing has been banned or censored, the original is simply not in print anymore.)

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-26 00:00:00 Anthony Hollingsworth Sam and his parents (Also named Sam, as is everyone in this imaginary land) live in a world where everyone lives in harmony, humans and animals together. Which turns out to mean that animals wear clothes and run shops, anthropomorphically. Despite this asserted harmony, tigers still eat people, apparently. Um, are you sure you thought that concept through, sir?