Little Black Sambo

the original cover of Little Black Sambo.

The Story of Little Black Sambo is a short children's book^[1] by Helen Bannerman, a Scottish national. Helen Bannerman went on to write many similar books. The book was first published in 1899 and features the hero, Sambo, outwitting four hungry tigers by trading his colorful clothes and umbrella in return for his safety. The tigers then are defeated by their own vanity, as each bites the next one's tale forming a ring.

The story takes place in a mythical India and the tigers racing around the tree are turned into ghee, the Indian word for clarified butter, used to make pancakes for his family's supper.

The story was a children's favorite for many years, but then became subject to a censorship campaign in certain countries based on complaints about outdated racial imagery.^[2] That campaign led to the closing of a chain of over 1,000 Sambo's restaurants.

Notes

↑ It has only 1,089 words.
↑ 'While this story has charmed generations, current publishers have decided to avoid any sense of perceived negative connotations by reissuing the ORIGINAL storybook with a new title: "The Story of Little Babaji.' [1]

[1] It has only 1,089 words.

[2] 'While this story has charmed generations, current publishers have decided to avoid any sense of perceived negative connotations by reissuing the ORIGINAL storybook with a new title: "The Story of Little Babaji.' [1]

[1]

[2]