Little Black Sambo is on the best-seller list in Japan.

From the Casper Star Tribune:

"Sambo" was a big favorite of Japanese families from the time it was introduced here in 1953 until it was yanked from bookstores in 1988 after a swift and effective anti-racism campaign. The rap against it in Japan echoed that in the West years earlier: Sambo was a long-standing racist term for American blacks, and illustrator Frank Dobias' portrayal of the main character, with his bulging white eyes and exaggerated lips, was tantamount to a boy drawn in blackface.

In April, Zuiunsha, a small Tokyo publisher specializing in reprints, bet there was still a market for a book that had charmed generations of Japanese youngsters who, as adults, were now unable to find the book to read to their own children.

The market agreed. Zuiunsha reportedly has sold 95,000 copies in two months since bringing out "Chibikuro Sambo." Despite being a child's read at a thin 16 pages, "Sambo" sits among the top five adult fiction best sellers at major Tokyo book chains.