Born in Edinburgh in 1863, Helen Bannerman lived in India for thirty years. As a gift for her two little girls, she wrote and illustrated The Story of Little Black Sambo(1899), a story that clearly takes place in India (with its tigers and "ghi," or melted butter), even though the names she gave her characters belie that setting. For this new edition of Bannerman's much beloved tale, the little boy, his mother, and his father have all been given authentic Indian names: Babaji, Mamaji, and Dadaji. And Fred Marcellino's illustrations'lively and lavish'are unmistakably Indian in every detail. The Story of Little Babaji:an old favorite is lovingly, memorably transformed.

1996 Children's Books (NY Public Library)
Notable 1997 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1997 Editor's Choice (Booklist)
Booklist Notable Children's Books of 1997
‘Lasting Connections of 1996' Book Links

Amazon.com Review
Almost a century ago, when Helen Bannerman created the story of Little Black Sambo while traveling on a train to Madras, she never guessed that her simple tale would become a symbol of racism. It was the names she chose for her characters and the simple, crude illustrations that earned the story a place on the trash heap of politically incorrect literature. Underneath the racist veneer, however, is a simple and timeless story. Thank goodness for Fred Marcellino's new version. He saves the tale by changing the names of the characters to Babaji, Mamaji and Papaji. In doing so, he has resurrected a basically honorable tale from a largely undeserved fate.