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Ten Little White Folk, Shawna Hanel

Shawna Hanel

In 1868, Septimus Winner penned the song “Ten Little Injuns” based upon an 1850s minstrel act. Eventually, an abbreviated version became a popular contemporary children’s rhyme. My parents, in 1974, purchased The Giant Golden Mother Goose for their already bookwormish toddler. As a child, I adored “Ten Little Injuns.” However, rereading the text as an adult eviscerated any affinity I had for the nursery rhyme and ultimately inspired me to create this revised edition. For the new version, I replaced every instance of the term “Injun” with “White Folk.” I also exchanged every illustration of an Indian with photographs of …