The Real King of the Jungle

RDP #72 – CAT

Old English catt, catte, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kat and German Katze ; reinforced in Middle English by forms from late Latin cattus .

I’ve lived my 71 years quite happily without a pet cat.  Never really wanted one.

However, I have been fascinated with the regal, gorgeous tiger since I was a little girl.  I remember reading a Golden Book titled Little Black Sambo,  which I suppose would be considered politically incorrect these days.  As I recall, the story took place in Africa, but I have to question that memory.  My research indicates that there are no native tigers in Africa, although you may see one in a zoo or perhaps even a wildlife preserve.  You are more likely to see Bengal tigers in Asia, or the Siberian tiger in–well –Siberia.  There’s not a lot of difference between them. The Siberian has thicker fur, but otherwise they’re quite similar.

Anyway, back to my story. This is the cover I remember:

Upon further research, the story did take place in India, not Africa. Sambo had been warned many times to avoid the tigers, but he was a curious sort and decided to find out for himself. Along the way, a tiger chases him around and around a tree until the tiger finally morphs into a stack of golden pancakes covered in dark syrup.

Goofy, right?  But I loved the story. I have no idea what ever happened to my book. I’m sure it was lost or tossed in one of our many moves.

A quick read through my search results informs me that the story is now about a boy named Sam, and the tigers he meets are friendly sorts of cats.  Not much excitement there.

I think the first live tigers I saw were in the Como Park Zoo in Minneapolis.  They were HUGE!  I didn’t realize how gigantic they are.  I remember watching them for a very long time.

I’m thinking that if they did populate Africa, the lion would get bumped as the King of the Jungle 🙂

RDP:  Cat

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