Again with the pick just one! You know how difficult it is for me to narrow things down to just one.
The first book that came to mind gave me pause. I don't want to hear about it. The fact is my favorite book as a child was Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman.
Now I know there's been some controversy, and I also know some of you will be totally unfamiliar with this title. You can read more about the controversy here.
What I remember about the book was the loving family. Sambo's beautiful clothes. How he was resourceful and clever in protecting himself in a way that was recognized and benefitted his family.
The idea of having tigers run around a tree and melt into butter (scary becomes yummy) was fascinating to me. Sambo had power! Then sitting down to a dinner of pancakes with his family just made everything wonderful.
Regardless of various interpretations of the illustrations, the story stands as a classic in my heart. While I'm deeply attached to the original story and illustrations, some of the re-tellings are quite good as well. So which ever edition you choose enjoy. And eat pancakes for dinner!
linking up with Writer's Workshop
I remember a restaurant where I grew up (Santa Barbara) called Sambos. I always loved it because I got to eat pancakes for dinner there. Understandably there is controversy surrounding the story but you are right in that it is still a classic. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting the the real controversy is about the illustrations not the storyline itself. The controversy destroyed the Sambo's restaurant chain. Thanks for stopping by :)
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