In this book, Julius Lester retells the story of Helen Bannerman's book Little Black Sambo. I was not familiar with this story, so I found the book at the libary and read it and compared the two stories. I really like how Julius Lester brought the story to life by using wit and humor to bring out the charm of the old south.
Jerry Pickney's ilustrations were very colorful and expressive. I also really likes the detail in his artwork. This made the story seem to come to life.
On a negative note, I thought the story line was hard to follow. I think it could be confusing for children. The moral was not really evident, but I believe kids could pull several different morals from the story.
Sam and The Tigers is about a boy who outsmarts a group of tigers and brings home some butter to put on the pancakes they are having for supper. In Little Black Sambo, I could see many racist undertones. But, I like how Lester rewrote the story using Sam as the character, and did a great job of retelling the classic, but without the racist tones.
The part of the story I liked best was the confidence that Sam had. He was not afraid to express himself, which was expressed in the brightly colored clothing her chose to wear. His character was definately not afraid to be himself. I think this is a great example for kids.
The author, Julius Lester, is know for keeping african-american folktales and History alive through his stories. Many know him for his tales if uncle remus, and also for his stories about brer rabbit.
In the story, How Many Spots Does A Leopard and Other Tales, Lester retells African-American and Jewish folk tales.
In addition to African American stories, Lester was also know for writing about stories from the Bible, and spirituality. He wrote a story called The Autobiography of God in 2004, which dealt with why bad things happen when God is supposed to be in control.
Jerry Pickney's ilustrations were very colorful and expressive. I also really likes the detail in his artwork. This made the story seem to come to life.
On a negative note, I thought the story line was hard to follow. I think it could be confusing for children. The moral was not really evident, but I believe kids could pull several different morals from the story.
Sam and The Tigers is about a boy who outsmarts a group of tigers and brings home some butter to put on the pancakes they are having for supper. In Little Black Sambo, I could see many racist undertones. But, I like how Lester rewrote the story using Sam as the character, and did a great job of retelling the classic, but without the racist tones.
The part of the story I liked best was the confidence that Sam had. He was not afraid to express himself, which was expressed in the brightly colored clothing her chose to wear. His character was definately not afraid to be himself. I think this is a great example for kids.
The author, Julius Lester, is know for keeping african-american folktales and History alive through his stories. Many know him for his tales if uncle remus, and also for his stories about brer rabbit.
In the story, How Many Spots Does A Leopard and Other Tales, Lester retells African-American and Jewish folk tales.
In addition to African American stories, Lester was also know for writing about stories from the Bible, and spirituality. He wrote a story called The Autobiography of God in 2004, which dealt with why bad things happen when God is supposed to be in control.
No comments:
Post a Comment