Source
University of Florida Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature
Baldwin Call #
#15p3482
Description
This adaptation replaces Helen Bannerman’s illustrations with green, black, and white drawings. The characters are depicted as African American caricatures reminiscent of minstrel figures, complete with large white eyes and prominent lips. Black Mumbo appears as a distinctly Mammy-like figure, and Black Mumbo wears overalls, suggesting that this version takes place in the American South.
Additionally, while much of the book closely adheres to Bannerman’s original text, author M. Genevieve Silvester alters the final line of the story to emphasize Little Black Sambo’s gluttony: “And Little Black Sambo ate a hundred and sixty-nine, and he could have eaten more” (24).
Creator
M. Genevieve Silvester
Contributor(s)
Illustrated by Inez Hogan
Publisher
Mentzer, Bush and Co
Publication Date
1930
Format
48 pages; colored illustrations; 15 cm.
Language
English