Sam and the Tigers is the retelling of a famous yet somewhat controversial story, Little Black Sambo. In an author's note, Lester explains that he and Pinkney both loved the story, but realized that the original tale was illustrated in a racist manner and unfortunately depicted a negative image of blacks. They wanted to remake the story in a way that retained the fun, but left the historical baggage of racism and stereotypes behind. I believe that they accomplished this goal; anyone who reads the story will not be focusing on the color of the lead character's skin, but rather his charming personality and wit.
My favorite lines in the story happen just after Sam has picked out his own clothes for the first time. He chooses pieces that are extremely colorful; he would stand out in any crowd! His mom says, "You better be careful. You might put Mr. Sun out of business." Sam replies, "If I knew how to sit in the sky without a chair, I would." Who, as a parent, has not had a child to leave the house in an outfit that definitely shows "personality"? I sometimes want to pin a note on my daughter that says "I picked out my own clothes". I can definitely empathize with the parents in this story!
The text and illustrations work together beautifully to create a charming tale that would be appropriate in any school library. I recommend the book, and plan to share it with my own children.
More books by Julius Lester are:
The Folksinger's Guide to the 12-String Guitar as Played by Leadbelly, co-author with Pete Seeger, 1965
Look Out, Whitey! Black Power's Gon' Get Your Mama, 1968 My own note: Interesting that he is concerned with removing racism from other stories, but this seems to be a particularly racist title. Maybe his views have changed over time?
To Be a Slave, 1968 (Newbery Honor Book)
Search for the New Land, 1969
Revolutionary Notes, 1969
Black Folktales, 1969
The Seventh Son: The Though and Writings of W.E.B. DuBois, 1971
Two Love Stories, 1972 (Coreta Scott King Honor Book)
Long Journey Home, 1972
The Knee-High Man and Other Tales, 1972
Who I Am, 1974
All Is Well, 1976
This Strange New Feeling, 1982
Do Lord Remember Me, 1984
The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1987
Lovesong: Becoming a Jew, 1988
More Tales of Uncle Remus: Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit, His Friends, Enemies, and Others (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1988
How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have and Other Tales, 1989
Further Tales of Uncle Remus: The Misadventures of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, the Doodang, and Other Creatures (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1990
The Last Tales of Uncle Remus (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1994
The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1994
And All Our Wounds Forgiven, 1994
John Henry (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1994
Othello: A Novel, 1995
From Slaveship to Freedom Road, Paintings by Rod Brown, 1998
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses: A True Story (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 1998
Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales, with a
What a Truly Cool World, 1999
When the Beginning Began, 1999
Albidaro and the Mischievous Dream (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 2000
Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel, 2000
The Blues Singers: Ten Who Rocked the World, 2001
When Dad Killed Mom, 2001
Ackamarackus: Julius Lester's Sumptuously Silly Fantastically Funny Fables, 2001
Why Heaven Is Far Away, 2002
Shining, 2003
The Autobiography of God, 2004
Let's Talk About Race, 2005
On Writing for Children and Other People, 2005
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, 2005
The Old African (J. Pinkney, Illus.), 2005
Time's Memory, 2006
Cupid: A Novel, 2007
Lester, J. (1996). Sam and the tigers (J. Pinkney, Illus.). New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Lester, J. (n.d.). My books. Retrieved August 9, 2009 from http://members.authorsguild.net/juliuslester/works.htm.
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