BOOKS: SAME STORY, NEW ATTITUDE

TWO PUBLISHERS RESUSCITATE A CHILDREN'S CLASSIC

Few children's books evoke such strong emotions as The Story of Little Black Sambo. Its crude, derogatory drawings and racist character names are patently offensive, making it one of the best known relics--practically an icon--of a deplorable era. But Sambo himself is spunky and resourceful, and his story is charming enough that many adults remember it fondly. Now two publishers are trying to resurrect Sambo, preserving the good while jettisoning the bad in new versions of the mortifying old book.

That two retellings are coming out at once is, according to all concerned, quite coincidental. Both new volumes were created by...

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