Sam and the Tigers: A New Telling of Little Black Sambo - Hardcover

Lester, Julius

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803720289 ISBN 13: 9780803720282

Publisher: Dial, 1996

Synopsis

Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney and Newbery Honor-winning author Julius Lester team up in thi groundbreaking and delightful update of one of the most controversial stories in children’s literature. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as hip and hilarious.”
 
From the creators of the Caldecott Honor-winning John Henry comes a reimagining of Helen Bannerman’s Little Black Sambo. Julius Lester uses his inimitable black southern storytelling voice to bring new life and laughter to Sam, a little boy with bright new clothes who encounters a group of tigers on his way to school. Like his breathtaking animal illustrations in The Lion and the Mouse and The Talking Eggs, Jerry Pinkney’s tigers prowl off the page and leap into the imagination. All of the Lester and Pinkney trademarks are present: wit, humor, and the perfect marriage of words and images, making this classic folktale accessible to new generations.
 
 
A hip and hilarious retelling that marries the essence of the original with an innovative vision of its own.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
ALA Notable Book
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
Book Links Best Book of the Year
Booklist Editors’ Choice
Children’s Books Mean Business
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Washington Irving Children’s Choice Award

About this title

Review:

In the original story by Helen Bannerman, Little Black Sambo must tread carefully, lest his clothes be stolen from him by a gang of tigers. Today, it is the teller of the tale who must tread carefully, lest the forces of political correctness attack, charging racism. Because of the names she chose for her characters, the book has become a symbol of intolerance in the century since it was written. Strip away race, however, and the tale underneath is both simple and affecting. To make it more palatable to modern readers, Julius Lester has recast the tale in a "Southern black storytelling voice."

From the Back Cover:

Sam lives in the town of Sam-sam-sa-mara, where everyone is named Sam and the animals and people live and work together. On his way to school one morning, he's stopped by a hungry tiger. Rather than being eaten, Sam makes the tiger a deal.

In this delightful new telling of one of the most controversial books in children's literature, Little Black Sambo, Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney have retold and reclaimed the story. They bring new life to this charming tale of a boy who triumphs over several hungry tigers.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0803720289
• ISBN 13: 9780803720282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Pinkney Jerry