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Little Black Sambo
Little Black Sambo

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Little Black Sambo
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.
And his mother was called Black Mumbo.
And his father was called Black Jumbo.
And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.
And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Little Black Sambo

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.
Line 2
And his mother was called Black Mumbo.
Line 3
And his father was called Black Jumbo.
/ənd hɪz ˈfɑːðər wɑːz kɔːld blæk ˈdʒʌmboʊ/
Line 4
And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.
Line 5
And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.
/ənd blæk ˈdʒʌmboʊ went tuː ðə bəˈzɑːr ənd bɑːt hɪm ə ˈbjuːtəfəl ɡriːn əmˈbrelə ənd ə ˈlʌvli ˈlɪtəl per ʌv ˈpɜːrpəl ʃuːz wɪð ˈkrɪmzən soʊlz ənd ˈkrɪmzən ˈlaɪnɪŋz/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Bazaar noun US /bəˈzɑːr/

a shop where a variety of goods are sold

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

Crimson adjective US /ˈkrɪmzən/

of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

Jumbo adjective US /ˈdʒʌmboʊ/

of great mass; huge and bulky

From this reading “And his father was called Black Jumbo.”

Linings noun US /ˈlaɪnɪŋz/

plural of “lining” — a protective covering that protects an inside surface

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

Purple noun US /ˈpɜːrpəl/

a purple color or pigment

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

Soles noun US /soʊlz/

plural of “sol” — a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

Trousers noun US /ˈtraʊzərz/

(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately

From this reading “And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.”

Umbrella noun US /əmˈbrelə/

a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy

From this reading “And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.”

All words in this reading · 41

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

BazaarnounUS /bəˈzɑːr/

a shop where a variety of goods are sold

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

BlueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

boughtverbUS /bɑːt/

inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading And his mother was called Black Mumbo.

CoatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

CrimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/

of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading And his father was called Black Jumbo.

GreennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

JumboadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌmboʊ/

of great mass; huge and bulky

From this reading And his father was called Black Jumbo.

LiningsnounUS /ˈlaɪnɪŋz/

plural of “lining” — a protective covering that protects an inside surface

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

lovelyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌvli/

appealing to the emotions as well as the eye

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading And his mother was called Black Mumbo.

Mumbo

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And his mother was called Black Mumbo.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

pairnounUS /per/

a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

PurplenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəl/

a purple color or pigment

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

RednounUS /red/

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

Sambo

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

ShoesnounUS /ʃuːz/

a particular situation

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

SolesnounUS /soʊlz/

plural of “sol” — a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

TrousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/

(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately

From this reading And Black Mumbo made him a beautiful little Red Coat, and a pair of beautiful little Blue Trousers.

UmbrellanounUS /əmˈbrelə/

a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Once upon a time there was a little black boy, and his name was Little Black Sambo.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And Black Jumbo went to the Bazaar and bought him a beautiful Green Umbrella and a lovely little Pair of Purple Shoes with Crimson Soles and Crimson Linings.

Chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo contain?

Chapter 1 holds 64 sentences of Little Black Sambo, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of Little Black Sambo?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Little Black Sambo

Common questions about reading Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Black Sambo?

Yes. All 64 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17824 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Black Sambo is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #17824, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Black Sambo take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 13 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Black Sambo section by section

How to work through Little Black Sambo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of Little Black Sambo to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Little Black Sambo

Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Black Sambo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Black Sambo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Black
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Black Sambo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sambo
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Black Sambo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mother
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Black Sambo; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.