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A review by lagobond
The Story of Little Babaji by Helen Bannerman
5.0
This book is a little ray of sunshine. Yes I'm aware of [b:The Story of Little Black Sambo|146665|The Story of Little Black Sambo|Helen Bannerman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347234741l/146665._SX50_.jpg|870803]'s racist history. For sure, those earlier editions need to not be in children's lives except to teach about racism. Now I don't know how this new edition with its new illustrations would be received by people from India, perhaps it too is racist? But since I can't know the answer to that, all I can judge this new edition by is my own perception of it, and I believe that the pictures were drawn with love, not with condescension or a racist attitude. I also believe that the story itself was written with love for children. I adore "The Story of Little Babaji" because it makes me smile. That said, if someone from India told me that this book is insulting, I would definitely reconsider my position.
This story is filled with familial love, resourcefulness in the face of adversity, plenty of whimsy, and gentle triumph. The language flows beautifully and is made for reading out loud to gleeful little ones. The illustrations are so gorgeous that I've added all of [a:Fred Marcellino|284545|Fred Marcellino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615912431p2/284545.jpg]'s other books to my TBR. There's just enough detail and color to evoke warm, happy feelings, without cluttering the pages. The characters' body language and facial expressions are marvelous. The proud, goofy, cross-eyed tigers are a masterpiece. The small hardcover is pleasant to pick up and hold, and the green crepe paper is a fabulous touch. I would happily read this to little kids.
This story is filled with familial love, resourcefulness in the face of adversity, plenty of whimsy, and gentle triumph. The language flows beautifully and is made for reading out loud to gleeful little ones. The illustrations are so gorgeous that I've added all of [a:Fred Marcellino|284545|Fred Marcellino|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1615912431p2/284545.jpg]'s other books to my TBR. There's just enough detail and color to evoke warm, happy feelings, without cluttering the pages. The characters' body language and facial expressions are marvelous. The proud, goofy, cross-eyed tigers are a masterpiece. The small hardcover is pleasant to pick up and hold, and the green crepe paper is a fabulous touch. I would happily read this to little kids.