The Little Black Sambo

The Story of Little Black Sambo is a children's book written and illustrated by Helen Bannerman, and first published by Grant Richards in October 1899 as one in a series of small-format books called The Dumpy Books for Children. The story was a children's favorite for more than half a century but would become a victim of allegations of racism in the mid-1900s. Critics of the time observed that Bannerman presents one of the first black heroes in children's literature and regarded as a book that positively portrayed black characters in both the text and pictures, especially in comparison to the more negative books of that era that depicted blacks as simple and uncivilized. Both text and illustrations have undergone considerable revision since.
Sambo is a South Indian boy who lives with his father and mother, named Black Jumbo and Black Mumbo, respectively. While out walking, Sambo encounters four hungry tigers, and surrenders his colourful new clothes, shoes, and umbrella so they will not eat him. The tigers are vain and each thinks he is better dressed than the others. They chase each other around a tree until they are reduced to a pool of melted butter. Sambo then recovers his clothes and collects the butter, which his mother uses to make pancakes