Reviews (2)

this book was about the life of Eloise Greenfield.
it was a very good book.I recomend it to every one

This book is outstanding!!
I love Childtimes by Eloise Greenfield.I read Childtimes as a fifth grader.It was a wonderful book that should be read by all--young and old. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-American children    2. Afro-Americans    3. Biography    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 1-2    6. General    7. Greenfield, Eloise    8. Juvenile literature    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / People of Color   

Editorial Review

Three-time Caldecott Honor artist and four-time winner of the CorettaScott King Award, Jerry Pinkney doesn't disappoint with this lovely, old-fashioned, richly textured watercolor adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's Read more

Reviews (13)

The Kind of Hope We All Need to Remember
A beautiful picture book on the Hans Christian Anderson tale. The Ugly Duckling is one of the world's most passionate childrens' stories of becoming. A wonderful book to read to remind a child what's possible no matter what. It's always a good thing to know one really is a swan ...underneath it all.

Honk!
"The Ugly Duckling" is one of those rare examples of the triumph of image over story.Anyone who's ever read, heard, or seen performed this story knows that there are elements to it that can make you feel a hair uncomfortable.After all, the moral of the tale is that it doesn't matter how awful your life has been just so long as you're beautiful and look like all the pretty people in the end.Even if we dislike what "The Ugly Duckling" is trying to say, though, it's hard not to be compelled by its striking images.The cygnet amongst the ducklings.The resentment directed at him by both the animal kingdom and humankind.And then, the slow realization that he is in fact the most beautiful creature in the entire world.If this story were a Grimm Brothers tale it would probably end with the duckling rubbing his newfound good looks in his siblings' faces.Fortunately, we're in Hans Christian Andersen territory here, and (more specifically) Jerry Pinkney territory as well.Mr. Pinkney has taken Andersen's original wordy version and pared it down to the point where contemporary children will understand and identify with it better.He's even changed the moral of the tale oh-so-slightly so that it's less lotsa-pain-equals-more-physical-beauty and more hard-work-will-lead-to-happiness-in-the-end.I'm not personally buying it, but that's the fault of Andersen.Not Pinkney.
The Ugly Duckling
I read the book The Ugly duckling by Jerry Pinkney.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Classics    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - European    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    7. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    8. Fairy tales    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Legends, Myths, & Fables - General    11. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories    12. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General    13. Picture books   

Reviews (17)

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed, through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment...
A young reader's must have
I loved this story as a child, and recently bought this for my daughter.It's been tough getting her to sleep since we began reading this together.

Rikki the valiant the true, tikki with eyeballs of flame
As a child, I grew up with Kipling stories.My mother would read me "Just So Stories" and selections from the surprisingly long and complex, "Jungle Book" when I was just a wee lass.And had this lush and lovely version of "Rikki-tikki-tavi" been available to me when I was a kid, I've little doubt that I'd have devoured it just as readily as I did tales like, "How the Elephant Got His Trunk".Though I missed out on "Rikki-tikki-tavi" the written tale, I did take great pleasure in the 1975 Chuck Jones animated (with voices by Orson Wells and June Foray) faithful film of the same story.For those of you eager to instill in your children a sharp jolt of Kipling to the veins, I suggest you start them out on "Rikki", both the film and this lovely picture book, then move on slowly to "Just So Stories" and finally, "The Jungle Book" (but not THAT film).Then, years later, when you're trying to get them to read "Stalkey and Company", you'll have already hooked 'em young.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - Mammals    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Classics    6. Cobras    7. Fiction    8. India    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Mongooses    11. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Reviews (1)

The Little Red Hen
Wonderful illustrations to an old story with a new twist ending! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Farm Animals    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    5. Folklore    6. General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Pinkney, Jerry    10. Preschool Picture Story Books    11. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Farm Animals   

Reviews (6)

A man ain't nothing but a man
The story of John Henry fleshed out and made magical at the same time. The paintings are evocative watercolors, beautifully done. The language is an interesting mixture of puns and idioms. The story of John Henry is so compelling to my little boy that he resists reading the part where John dies because he just can't stand it. We have to skip over to the page where it explains that you can still hear the hammers ringing out if you listen in the night out front of the White House. He likes that. Odd and mystical. Recommended.

Tall, Tall, Tale!
This wild and wonderful retelling of the classic John Henry folk tale will not disappoint any reader. From the moment John Henry is born and all the animals come to see, excitement and splendor beg the reader on. John Henry is a man of indomitable spirit. He works hard and large at whatever he sets his hand to. We are left with a feeling of 'can do' by the example of this mighty legend.
Just what I was looking for.
This was a great addition to my Tall Tales collection.It offered more information than any of the songs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Black American    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - General    6. Folklore    7. John Henry (Legendary character)    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Legends    10. People & Places - United States - African-American    11. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title   

Reviews (17)

I WISH WE HAD MORE LIKE THIS ONE
There is not much not to like about this work.The author has given us a great folk tale, well written, wonderful illustrations, a work full of lessons and just a pure simple fun story to read.Like all good fables this one not only entertains, but teaches some very valuable lessons in life and living (something most of we adults could use a dose of now and again).This is a great book for a child to read on her or his own, a wonderful book to read with a child and a great book to read to an entire class.It is absolutely amazing the amount of discussion this book can create in a class room.I certainly am not going to go into the story line here, other reviewers here have done a grand job of that, but I do say the book is well worth owning and well worth using with children and/or young adults.I do wish more of our folk tales and lore could be so well presented.This particular edition is well constructed, sturdy and can last through many little hands.Highly recommend this one.

Magical book
What a find!This is a beautifully illustrated book.The story is so magical that the entire family was eager to hear every word.

The Cajun folktale of Blanche and the Talking Eggs
I suppose "The Talking Eggs" is a variation of sorts on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella, although there are a couple of significant differences.One such difference would be that in this story retold by Robert D. San Souci there is neither a prince nor a grand ball, so there is no notion of romance involved.But the most interesting difference is that there is no wicked stepmother.In fact, the story is about a widow and her two daughters.Blanche is "sweet and kind and sharp as forty crickets" while Rose was "cross and mean and didn't know beans from birds' eggs."The mother makes Blanche do all the work because she likes Rose best; they are, all, just like too peas in a pod in that they are bad-tempered, sharp-tongued, and always putting on airs.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - American    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Folklore    7. United States    8. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title   

Reviews (7)

The colors of my life are beautiful and bold
The other day a teacher came into the library where I work and explained to me that she was doing a unit with her kids on quilting.She already had some non-fiction titles on the subject, but what she really wanted was picture books that talked about the craft.Immediately I thought of "Show Way" by Jacqueline Woodson, "Goha the Wise Fool", by Denys Johnson-Davies (a quilted picture book), "Oma's Quilt" by Paulette Bourgeois, "Tar Beach" by Faith Ringgold (another quilted picture book), and "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" by Deborah Hopkinson.But even before any of these book jumped to my mind, before I'd even stopped to consider a one of them, there was a book that I thought of first."The Patchwork Quilt" by Valerie Flournoy is (I would dare say) the best-known quilting picture book of them all.A winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the very first winner of the prestigious Ezra Jack Keats Books Award, this 1985 production and Reading Rainbow Book has remained a classic well past the time when most book lie on shelves forgotten.
The Patchwork Quilt: A wonderful story filled with family traditions, and love
As pre-service teachers, we thought this book would be wonderful to have in our future classrooms. The story is culturally rich, and provides strong family values. Though the story featured an African-American family, there was no bias to it, and any culture would have fit in the story.We enjoyed learning about the family quilt, and all the stories that can be told with the fabrics that are woven within. You could easily have the children relate this to their own families, and integrate an activity in which the students make their own patch and write a story about it.The only downfall is that younger students may find this story a little slow or confusing, as it deals with the sickness of a Grandmother, and may be a touchy subject. Overall, we thought this book was a must-have for most Elementary classrooms.

Kids' View
This review was written by Miss Lee's 3rd/4th multiage class in St. Louis, Missouri:
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Family - Multigenerational    6. Family life    7. Fiction    8. Grandmothers    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. People & Places - General    11. Quilting    12. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (4)

warm story of history and remembrance
This book is told in such a captivating tone by Ms. Dragonwagon and beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.The story will warm the heart of a "child" at any age.I recommend you read it regularly.

Wonderful Book!
I really found this book interesting and intruiging.A great book to use in a unit on archeology or communities.Very absorbing and different.

Hauntingly beautiful, evocative; to read again and again
A family wandering in the woods finds an old abandoned home place and wonders who lived there. Gradually, the past and present merge and separate --- the black family who homesteaded, dreamed their own dreams, lived, cooked, did chores comes to life briefly, then recedes. But "They were here... for every year the daffodils come up / to trumpet the good news of spring / forever and forever." With a strong and mysterious sense of time and timelessness, memory and imagination, the author's quietly spare words and the illustrator's sumptous, moving pictures move together seamlessly. I have used this in my class (it is one of the books which can kindle endless discussion and serve as an easy, natural springboard for student writing), read it to my own children countless times, and bought it as a gift for friends of all ages. Anyone who has a "home place" in their past; indeed anyone who wonders about what lasts and what falls away, will respond to this moving, lovely book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Dwellings    4. Family - General    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Houses    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Reviews (7)

TheJungle Book
This is a beautiful edition of the wonderful childhood classic.I gave it to my twelve-year-old grandson, and he is enjoying it very much.The book is so much better than the movie! I love the way Kipling talks with his reader.I loved this book as a child myself and am very happy to have this great edition to give to my grandchildren.

Phyuick Yui
This book was good because it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was also god beacause it had more than one story in it, like the one about the seal.The best one though was the one with Mowgli and it follows him through his life and him leaving and becoming a normal person.

All time favorite
The Jungle Book is now one of my all time favorite books. When you read the book it makes you feel like you're there too.I like the way Rudyard Kipling has the animals talk.The main character in the story is a boy named Mowgli.Mowgli was abandoned by his mother and father and raised by wolves.I think Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Adventure stories, English    4. Animals - Wolves    5. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    6. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. Classics    9. Feral children    10. Fiction    11. Jungle animals    12. Juvenile Fiction    13. Mowgli (Fictitious character)    14. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (2)

Can't go over it.Can't go under it.Must go through it.
Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney may as well just declare themselves the kings of African-American children's literature, cause I can tell you right now that no one is going to contest the title.Virginia Hamilton?She's not making any additional literature at the moment.Leo and Diane Duane?They're far happier illustrating books than doing too much writing.Nope, it all comes down to the dynamite team of Lester & Pinkney.These fellows have it all worked out.They've single-handedly liberated Brer Rabbit from his antiquated vernacular (as in "The Tales of Uncle Remus"), reinvented Little Black Sambo into a far more presentable fellow (as in "Sam and the Tigers"), and even gave "John Henry" his full undeniable due.So where do you go from there?When you've covered everything from black cowboys to old racist standbys, what is there that's left to say?Well, there's always African-American history.In 2004 Virginia Hamilton's, "The People Could Fly" was republished from its short story collection as a picture book with illustrations by the aforementioned Duanes.Now, and in the same vein, Lester and Pinkney bring us their own tale of slavery, the supernatural, and the power of creating new myths from old pains.
Richie's Picks: THE OLD AFRICAN
The title page of THE OLD AFRICAN is preceded by the pictorial story of the hunt and capture of the runaway called "Paul."
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Extrasensory perception    6. Fiction    7. Historical - United States - 19th Century    8. Historical - United States - General    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Lester, Julius    11. People & Places - United States - African-American    12. Slavery    13. Telepathy    14. Visionary & Metaphysical    15. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / African American   

Reviews (3)

A classic reworked for our times
Julies Lester and Jerry Pinkney are forever finding new ways of retelling classic African American tales while removing the stigma once attached to their early presentation.Their other works include a whole new version of the old L'il Black Sambo story.Far more daringly is this collection; a retelling of the classic Uncle Remus stories.There is much to admire in this collection and a little to criticize.Admirable are the ways in which the stories are made interesting for kids today.The character of Uncle Remus has been made omnipresent.No longer are there pictures of little white children crouching at his feet.Instead, his narration encompasses everything that happens, and his humor infuses each and every story.Less admirable are some of the the moremodern twinges placed here and there.Sometimes the narrator will mention a shopping mall or a pair of expensive running shoes.These "updates" seem to date an otherwise modern story.The violence found in these tales often seem straight out of a Grimm fairy tale.They are a bit similar in the methods of killing (boiling with water, burning alive, etc.).It is difficult in this day and age to find such tireless reworkings of classic American stories.Stories that should never be forgotten because they represent a part of our American past.If you have any interest at all, or nostalgia for, these tales then read this book immediately and do not dilly dally.

Lifetime Memories
I was raised on these tales of the wiley rabbit.My mother read me to sleep with The Songs of The South.Being from the heart of Dixie I have a very personal feeling for these wonderful colorful and enlightning tales of old.My middle age has allowed me to pass these tales on to my children and I am now reading them to my Grandchildren.In fact they are in demand from my kids wanting to read them to their children them selves when not convenient to do so by me. This book one is one of my all-time childhood favorites!
I personally haven't read the book in years, but my Grandmother (Mama Toler, we called her) bought that book for me when I was very young.Actually, if memory serves, it was a collection of stories with Uncle Remustelling the tales, and included several stories about the adventures ofBrer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Wolf, and the Doogang.Oh, I can't forget tomention "Tar Baby" either!Even before I was old enough to readon my own, Mama Toler would hold me in her lap and read all about theAdventures of Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch.I loved it when she wouldmimick Uncle Remus' laugh because her belly would jiggle and make me wiggleand giggle (can you tell the little child in me has been awakened?).Thisbook is one is one of my all-time favorites and, although I haven't seen itin years, I'm thinking that this would be the perfect time for me to buy acopy for my four-year old granddaughter (and ME!) since she spends everyother weekend with us and loves for "Nanna" to read to her. Thanks for rekindling some happy memories.Happy Reading to you all, too!Diane ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Animals    3. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 4-6    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - American    7. Folklore    8. Tales    9. United States    10. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies   

Reviews (10)

Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales
Julius Lester has updated the language of the popular Joel Chandler Harris tales into contemporary, comprehensible, and amusing English.This is a real service for fans of Br'er Rabbit and his associates. The stories are well told and boast many an interesting twist at the end. Pickus's abundant black and white and two-page color illustrations form a rich complement to this beautiful treasury. A real "keeper" for many collections.

Get the audio book
I have not read the original Uncle Remus stories so I can not compare these with them.What I can say is that these stories show Brer Rabbit's and the other animals' resourcefulness and cleverness and are told with humor.It is the humor which sets them apart from other fairy/folk tales.I don't think I would be able to read these effectively myself, but the audio book, which is read by the author, has mesmerized my children (ages 18 months to 6 yrs) and left them cackling over and over again.

My children and I thouroughly enjoyed Lester's telling
I remember my mother reading me the Brer Rabbit stories when I was small and I was trying to retell them from my recollection, but thankfully I found this version on tape read by Lester at the library.My children loved the stories and I really enjoyed Lester's wit, humor, and colloquialism.I only gave the book four stars because of the violent and underhanded nature of Br'er Rabbit, himself.Both of my children are fairly sensitive but didn't have trouble with this aspect of the book--it was me.I didn't want to keep telling them the ones where Br'er Rabbit would have some innocent, gullible creature sacrificed in his place. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Animals    3. Children's 4-8    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Black American    7. Folklore    8. Tales    9. United States    10. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Anthologies   

Reviews (2)

Lush Illustrations
An effort by these two terrific professionals is bound to have many good qualities. This won a Caldecott honor designation, and rightly so. Pinkney's watercolors are intricate, absorbing, a real pleasure. The multicolored dresses of girls at a dance are especially pretty. I notice he uses two motifs in his books, chickens and quilts. Both are included here.
Can the wind be a partner?
This children's book, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, is about a young and joyous African-American girl who hopes to win a prize at a cake walk by capturing the wind as her partner. The story takes place around 1900 and isa beautiful view of a happy people. The book was a 1989 Caldecott Honorbook (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in abook for children. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Dance    6. Dancing    7. Fiction    8. Lifestyles - Country Life    9. Performing Arts - Dance    10. Winds    11. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (2)

Absolutely amazing!
I'd agree with the previous reviewer; however, the author (Joyce Cooper Arkhurst) was indeed the person responsible for popularizing the Anansi stories here in the USA!The vocabulary in the book introduces kids to Africa and West African terms and culture.Joyce was a storyteller at the New York City Public Library many years ago and received a grant to go to West Africa to research the rich oral tradition of storytelling in the villages.This book was the first to popularize the Anansi stories and opened the door for McDermott and others.Enjoy!

This is a great book for children and adult storytellers
The author has presented a simple, easy to read format which will be easy for children to read, understand, and most important, ENJOY! The humor is wonderful. The main character, Spider, will be easily recognizable to those children already familiar with the Anansi stories. Additionally, I am a teacher and have introduced oral storytelling into my second grade classroom. These stories are simple, rich and easy to learn for those who may be interested in becoming a storyteller themselves!It's a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderful book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa, West    2. Anansi (Legendary character)    3. Children's 4-8    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Fairy Tales & Folklore - African    7. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country/Ethnic-General    8. Folklore    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Folk Tales / Mythology / Fables    11. Legends    12. Pinkney, Jerry    13. Tales    14. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic    15. Spiders   

Editorial Review

In all Mildred D. Taylor's unforgettable novels she recounts "not onlythe joy of growing up in a large and supportive family, but my own feelings ofbeing faced with segregation and bigotry." Her Newbery Medal-winning Read more

Reviews (432)

Confusion
I never quite understood why everyone seemed to love this book so much. I read it, along with my entire grade, in seventh grade, and found the book to be annoying. I was especially annoyed by flawed characters, and a not very impressive writing style.
Very disappointed...
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor was a very disappointing book. There is no particular story; the book starts rising action here and there and down again here and there. There is no specific climax. Basically, it's like there's no story. What I also hated about this book was the ending and the fact that there was no moral in the story. The book was full of cliches from every chaper by chaper. Each chapter was too long( this is not a dumb complaint). Instead of just starting a new chapter, Taylor just skips a line to basically start a new chapter. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense to you.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Searching for a book to read that Beautifully Infiltrates...Gracefully Relates...Lovingly Displays...Proudly Annunciates...then Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the answer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Logan family (Fictitious chara    8. Logan family (Fictitious characters : Taylor)    9. People & Places - United States - African-American    10. Prejudices    11. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    12. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / General   

Editorial Review

In the original story by Helen Bannerman, Little Black Sambo must tread carefully, lest his clothes be stolen from him by a gang of tigers. Today, it is the teller of the tale who must tread carefully, lest the forces of political correctness attack, charging racism. Because of the names she chose for her characters, the book has become a symbol of intolerance in the century since it was written. Strip away race, however, and the tale underneath is both simple and affecting. To make it more palatable to modern readers, Julius Lester has recast the tale in a "Southern black storytelling voice." ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Nice Illustrations, But Doesn't Replace The Original In My Heart
My mother read the story of Little Black Sambo to me when I was just a little kid. Ofcourse I could not see any racism in it at that time. To me it was a book with vivid colors where I used my imagination to put myself in Sambo's place, and seeing those pancakes made out of tigers made my mouth water. I remember that as I heard my mother telling me how the tigers chased each other's tales faster and faster, in my mind there was a race going on, and I loved to hear the ending of how Little Black Sambo had been so smart and lucky, and how his parents were so proud of him. The pictures in this new book are beautifully enchanting, but the story lacks its original feel. I miss this book, and I was shocked to hear that it was considered racist. I never thought of it that way, and I'm not racist in any way, shape, or form. This new story is NOT the original and it will never replace the original one in my heart. ALSO, the original is a piece of history, and I think it is the most horrible thing we can do to ban books of any sort. I agree with the other reviewer that I will never give up my copy of the original, but if you don't have a copy of the original, then buy the new one, because the framework of the story is still there. It's one that you CAN read to your kids, which I honestly would not recommend for the original tale.

Sam and the Tigers:A New Telling of the Little Black Sambo
The new version of this story puts humor into an old story. The illustrations invite the reader to look at all the details on each page.

Sambo's Story Retold is Still Very Good
I don't want to fall victim to political correctness as I am an avid believer in free speech. However, I also don't want my young son reading the original "Little Black Sambo" until he's a bit older. Taking care that very young minds are not polluted is not censorship as far as I'm concerned. That said, this is a superb retelling of the Sambo story. Sam, who lives in the town of Sam-sam-sa-mara where everybody is named Sam, needs new clothes and now Sam is old enough to pick out his own. He picks out a red jacket, purple pants, a yellow shirt and silver shoes and to top it all off, a green umbrella. However the next day he runs into a hunger tiger on his way to school and so, like in the original story, Sam barters his clothes, piece by piece, for his life. Yes, Sam winds up in his undies, and yes he gets his clothes back and yes he gets that butter for those pancakes and yes this is a very good book for children of all ages. I promise you, your child will enjoy this one.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Fiction    7. Humorous fiction    8. Humorous stories    9. Tigers    10. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Reviews (5)

Good Classroom Book
I used this book as part of a Black History Month.The class loved it.

A powerful book
Eight-year-old "Minty," a fictionalized version of a young Harriet Tubman, suffers greatly while working as a slave on a Maryland plantation. Her rebellious nature adds an extra degree of conflict, and she has several traumatic experiences. With the guidance of her father, she starts planning to escape. Minty the girl
Minty was treated awful wiped to her bones. Most of us don't know how badly Minty was treated and this story will help you under stand Black history please read this book and you will know how i feel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Biographical - United States    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography - Cultural Heritage    5. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    6. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    7. Children: Grades 1-2    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile literature    10.