Product Description
Enchanting book containing 30 nostalgic children's stories (with illustrations) such as Cunning Crow, Gingerbread Lad, Little Black Sambo, Pandora, Rip Van Winkle, etc. ... Read more

Amazon.com
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." Book Description
Once upon a time there was a place called Sam-sam-sa-mara, where the animals and the people lived and worked together like they didn't know they weren't supposed to. There was a little boy in Sam-sam-sa-mara named Sam....

So begins this delightful telling of one of the most controversial books in children's literature, Little Black Sambo. Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney reveal at the heart of this story a lively and charming tale of a little boy who triumphs over several hungry tigers.

"Lester and Pinkney have stripped away the ugly racism and...reclaimed a great classic for children. [The] expansive black storytelling voice is both folksy and contemporary, funny and fearful." --Booklist

"Lester's wit...makes the story fresh and funny; Pinkney's watercolors have vitality and, in the tigers, magnificence." --The Horn Book

Awards:
( An ALA Notable Book
( An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
( An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Pictures and story equally beautiful
I can't tell which I like better in this book: Jerry Pinkney's beautiful watercolor illustrations, or Julius Lester's engaging prose.'Mr. Elephant's Elegant Habiliments' is one of Lester's literary inventions.

The world where all the people and animals get along, and all the people are named Sam come alive in this witty story.My children could listen to it again and again, and I don't object to reading it to them--as long as they help out with the 'roars!'The pictures are brilliant; even the trees have faces, and there is something unexpected on every page.The picture of the tigers melting into butter is a revelation.

This book is definitely one of my 10 favorite children's books of all time.

Great book!
Ever since my 6 year old brought this book home from the school library my 4 year old loved it. He would ask for it whenever it was his turn to pick the evening book. So I got it for him for his 5th birthday and he is as happy as can be. There is a part where the tigers start calling each other a couple of names such as "Insect breath" and "loser". I drop those phrases as I'm reading and nobody knows the difference. Otherwise it is a fun book to read and the illustrations keep those little eyes on the pages. I recommend this book.

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.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training ... Read more

Product Description
No Publication date given: No publication date usually indicates publication prior to 1920. Full-page color illustrations; 6"x7.5" red colored boards w/black lettering and picture of Little Black Sambo holding an umbrella. Unpaginated. Peter Rabbit Series of books with list at back page. Every other page illustrated with bright colors. First dedication pages and one illustration in B&W. Color frontispiece. Red & white checkerboard pattern w/ blue storybook character illus from book series on endpapers. Dedication page illustrated and captioned "A Present for a Good Child." ... Read more

Product Description
Illustrated. Book measures approximately 4 1/4 inches tall and 3 inches wide. ... Read more

Product Description
In a follow-up to his popular Championship Sambo: Submission Holds and Groundfighting, Steve Scott teaches you 85 essential armlocks for jujitsu, judo, sambo and mixed martial arts. The armlocks taught in the Armlock Encyclopedia apply to gi and no-gi combat sports, allowing you to use them in a wide variety of situations, including self-defense and street applications.Steve Scott makes it easy to learn the most effective and popular armlocks of modern grappling sports by organizing them into four broad categories: the cross-body armlock, the bent armlock, the straight armlock and the armpit lock. In addition to teaching how to set-up and apply each of the locks, he shows you how to defend against common armlocks, fight from both the mount and guard, lever your opponent’s arm free for an attack and vary your grip for maximum power.For those new to grappling, you’ll also learn the core skills of applying armlocks, controlling position, and training smart plus a glossary of grappling terms and a Rules of the Room guide to common sense rules on the mat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Armlock Encyclopedia
A large number of books on the market cater to beginners who know a couple of basic moves and drills with little knowledge of how to go beyond that. They offer little guidance for experienced fighters or combat athletes. Armlock Encyclopedia is one of these.

The photos are OK and it's well-written. Some of the other more critical reviews probably originate in the book's inclusion of armbars that no one would or could ever use with little to distinguish them from high probability moves. It is more like a compendium of variations on different armbars than the sort of book that will help you deal with a fight - either in sport or on the street.

I use it primarily to think of different ways to position myself for an armbar. While it is reasonable for that, the truth is I haven't looked at it for a long time and find other books to be much more helpful. It may be useful for someone who is not quite a beginner, but for anyone more advanced than that, it probably won't provide much instruction.

Very basic
Not really that good.Very basic.I would say it gives a couple of good turn over attacks, but either basic or unrealistic against someone knowlegeable.I was very disappointed.

Nothing new here... Poor quality photos
I've studied BJJ and Judo for about 5 years now and was hoping this book would be a nice reference catalog of armbars - That is not the case. The title is a bit deceptive. It's realy just a handfull of armbars with several slight variations... So if you have at least 1 year of BJJ, Judo, Sambo or submission wrestling, you already know all of these. If you are new to the game, this book won't help you too much. e.g. The illustrations and descriptions are weak so you will stuggle to pick up anything out of it. It reminds me of all those crapy books from when I was a kid - the ones where you couldn't tell from the pictures what the heck you were supposed to do...

Pictures
In my opinion all the pictures should be bigger and in colour, so that the drills coud be more understood. But all techniques are very well explained and it's a very good reference for all levels of grappling fighters.

Excellent Book!
This book is easily my favorite on the subject. The techniques are high percentage variations of the strongest armlocks anywhere in the martial arts. Clear pictures, excellent descriptions and thoroughly knowledgeable tips combine to create a useful reference for students of any level.
I especially enjoyed the quotation from my Sensei, Rene Pommerelle on page 239. Thanks to Steve Scott for a great job!
... Read more