# Helen Bannerman

## Biography

Helen Bannerman, born Helen Brodie Cowan Watson in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1862, became a notable children's author. Due to her father's ministry, she spent part of her early life in Madeira. Though not permitted entry to Scottish universities as a woman, she achieved a Lady Literate in Arts qualification through external examinations from the University of St. Andrews.

In 1889, she married Dr. William Burney Bannerman, an officer in the Indian Medical Service, and moved to Madras, India, where they raised their four children. It was during a train journey that she improvised the tale of *The Story of Little Black Sambo* for her daughters, which was later published in 1899. This popular book, and others she wrote, often featured South Indian children. Bannerman returned to Edinburgh with her husband and died there in 1946. Her most famous work has garnered a complex legacy over time.

## Books

- [Little Black Sambo](https://samolit.com/books/96297)