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    Tikki Tikki Tembo
    Tikki Tikki Tembo
    Tikki Tikki Tembo
    Audiobook21 minutes

    Tikki Tikki Tembo

    Written by Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent

    Narrated by Marcia Gay Harden

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    This humorous retelling of a favorite folktale recounts how the Chinese came to give their children short names. This perfect read-aloud storybook is one adults and children will enjoy sharing together again and again.When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names.

    Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is the name of a mother's first, and most honored, son. It means, "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!"

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJul 21, 2009
    ISBN9781427207258
    Author

    Arlene Mosel

    Arlene Mosel (1921-1996) first heard the story of Tikki Tikki Tembo as a child. When she grew up, she shared this wonderful tale with countless children, including her own. Because so many young listeners responded enthusiastically, she decided to write her own retelling, and Tikki Tikki Tembo became her first book for children. The book was named an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In 1997, The New York Times named it one of the best 50 children's books of the previous 50 years. Mosel was also the author of The Funny Little Woman, which won the 1973 Caldecott Medal for Blair Lent's illustrations and was recognized as an Honor Book by the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Awards. Mosel was an associate professor of library science at Case Western Reserve University. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mosel died in Indianapolis in 1996.

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    Reviews for Tikki Tikki Tembo

    4/5

    602 ratings54 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Excellent story which I enjoyed a little more than my honourable first born :-)
      Also as it runs twice the funny moments come twice. Highly recommended!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Stupid so dumb ? idiotic bad horrible so-so bad horrible and
    • 1/5
      Read this for the 100 Best Children's Books and have to say I was disappointed. Perhaps this hasn't aged as well or I just didn't "get it."
    • 1/5
      why tell a chinese folktale if u dont even care abt getting the chinese part rite?!?
    • 4/5
      This book is essentially an origin myth about why Chinese names are so short. In the book, a boy and his brother are playing when the brother falls in the well. As he is trying to rescue him, and must repeat his brothers very long name so many times, we discover at the end too much time has passed and his brother has died in the well. I remember this story quite vividly from my childhood, finding it quite entertaining to say the brother's full name, Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo. I also taught this story to my first grade class as part of our Passport lessons from China. I told several different versions of the story and we discussed how the story changed as a result of verbal storytelling. As an extension exercise I had them draw a picture that depicted their favorite part in the story. We also talked about other stories we knew that changed as a result of verbal storytelling and the differences between those versions. Lastly we played a game of telephone to demonstrate how things can change between one telling and another
    • 5/5
      Great it’ll rain for the kiddos highly recommended Don’t miss out
    • 4/5
      Interesting way to present a moral.
    • 3/5
      A great book for kids learning to read
    • 4/5
      Classic tale of two Chinese boys who ignore their mother's warnings, and wind up falling into an old stone well. Fun to read aloud.
    • 1/5
      Well now ... there's a whole lot wrong here.The story, the basic story, is actually hilarious and the art has some wonderful elements as well. However, there's a whole history/present of white folks making fun of the names of folks from Asian cultures that makes this story uncomfortable. All the more uncomfortable because it's a retelling of a story that is, more likely than not rooted in a Japanese folktale, presented as a Chinese story and there's a whole history/present of white folks wanting to treat all Asian cultures as homogenous. No one has to be any particular culture for this story to work. In fact, it would work for way more people if it didn't since it wouldn't expose Chinese children (and other Asian children because of point two above) to mockery. Would love to see a retelling of this retelling.
    • 5/5
      If this means anything at all, I can remember the older boy's name and often say it to people. I can't say if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but the story is wonderful.
    • 4/5
      A classic that I read as a young child. It's still a great tale with many lessons hidden inside.
    • 1/5
      why tell a chinese folktale if u dont even care abt getting the chinese part rite?!?
    • 4/5
      A Chinese folktale about why Chinese people have short names. It is said that the first born son used to have a really long name but when that character in the story falls down a well it takes so long for his younger brother to spit out his name that he almost perishes.
    • 2/5
      This is a children's folktale about two brothers and the first born, the honored son, gets a very long name and the second born a very short name. The mother believes the first born son is more important. The younger boy fell into the well and his brother Tikki Tikki Tembo with the long name has to run and get help. The same thing happens to happen to Tikki Tikki Tembo. It took even longer for Chong to get his mother's attention because his name is so long and complicated and that of the old man with the ladder who had helped get Chong out of the well. He finally gets help but Tikki Tikki Tembo was there so long he was sick for a long time. That is why the Chinese usually give their children short names instead of long ones. The illustrations are drawn in ink and colored in with water colors. The colors are pretty dull and only a few different colors are used. Teachers could use this book to talk about names, favoritism, or what folktales are. Teachers could have students write their own folktales about how they got their names.
    • 3/5
      I remembered being told this story when I was young. When I see a familiar story for my childhood, I like to pick it up and read it with grown-up eyes. I still giggled. Politeness isn't so important when your brother is drowning.
    • 3/5
      Tikki Tikki Tembo is a story of an old Chinese folktale. It was a custom for father and mothers in China to give their first and honored sons a great long name, but seconds sons were given hardly a name at all. A mother lived on a small mountain with her two sons. Her first son was named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, which meant "the most wonderful thing in the world, and her second son was named Chang. Chang and Tikki tikki tembo loved playing near the well, but their mother always said to be careful or they could fall in. One day Chang fell in and Tikki tikki tembo ran to his mother to help him. They got the old man with the ladder to get him out and he took no time to recover. Months later, Tikki tikki tembo fell in. Chang ran to his mother to explain what happened, but his brother's name was so long, he could barely get it out. His mother said to go find the old man with the ladder. He found the old man, but he had the same problem, his brother's name was so long that he could barely get it out. They finally got Tikki tikki tembo out of the well, but it took him days to reccover. To this day, the Chinese have thought it wise to give all of their children short names, instead of great long ones. As an activity, each student could write out their own name as if they were Tikki tikki tembo, and for that day, each student would go by their long name.
    • 4/5
      This legend is about why Chinese people always give their children short names. This legend describes two brothers that both fall into a well and need to be saved. When the older brother, named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo falls into the well, Chang has to run all around town asking for help and it takes him so long that his older brother nearly dies because he can not move quickly enough. This book explains why Chinese people use short names with their children.
    • 4/5
      Short story about why Chinese families give their children short names. A story about two brothers that fall into a well and that need to be saved. Chang, the younger brother, has to run around and try to find people to save his brother with an incredibly long name. His name is so long and Chang has to repeat it so many times that his older brother almost dies in the well. But finally Tikki tikki tembo no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip bari pembo was saved out of the well. I would read this in my classroom to show my students the use of repetition as humor, or if we were learning about myths from other countries. Genre: myth, folktale, modern fantasy
    • 5/5
      Funny and interesting story. Beautiful illustrations in the Chinese style. Would recommend researching how to pronounce the names correctly before reading aloud to students. Good for discussion on respect of elders in Chinese societies.
    • 5/5
      Summary: "Tikki Tikki Tembo" is a old Chinese folktale about two Chinese brothers who go against their mother's word. The boys' mother warns them of a well that will swallow them if they choose to go down it. The younger brother, Chang, is the first to fall into the well during play time. The older brother (Tikki Tikki Tembo) runs to tell their mother, who tells him to find the Old Man with the ladder. The younger brother, Chang, is finally saved. Not too long after however, the older brother falls into the well. The younger brother tries at first to tell his mother but is unable to speak his older brother's long name. He finally does, and runs to the Old Man who reluctantly lends the ladder out. The moral of the story is that the Chinese have short names because of this incident.Review: I really liked reading this Chinese folktale. It speaks a few different messages that can be picked up by the reader. The first, is that you should never go against your mother's word. The two brothers do this and fall victim to the well. Chang is able to be saved quickly, but Tikki Tikki Tembo is not. Chang is barely able to get out his older brother's name and thus there is much time before he is saved. The message here is that the Chinese all have short names. This would be a great addition to my library collection, especially during a multicultural lesson.
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings about this book. It is based in rural China, and is a myth about a boy who almost drowns in a well because his brother cannot pronounce his name to ask for help. I don't think it is a great representation of Chinese culture, but the story is intriguing and the pictures are very unique.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorites from when I was a child. I do a “Me Box” in the beginning of the year with my students and I fill a box with objects that describe me. This is always the book inside. My students beg me to read it many times throughout the year. It is a sweet story of two brothers in China, the first born having a long name because he is most honorable, and the second having a very short name because he is not as important as the first born son. The boys soon find out, that it is not always the best or safest thing to have a very long name, and by story’s end, we discover why the Chinese do not name their first born sons with extremely long names anymore. It is a fun book, that your children will begin to chant along with.
    • 5/5
      A favorite from my childhood. I can still recite, Tikki Tikki Tembo's long name and can recall my sister's enthusiasm as she read this to me often at bedtime. A nice story of relationship between two brothers and the dynamics within a family and a culture. A memorable read.
    • 5/5
      Grade 1-4Traditional literatureTikki Tikki Tembo is an amusing piece of literature that does a good job of depicting the preference for first-born children in China. Since Tikki Tikki Tembo was the first born and favorite son he got the very ong honorable name Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. The second born son was named a much shorter and less honorable name, Chang. In the story both children fall into a well and are rescued. However, since Chang had such a shorter name it took less time to communicate that he had fallen. When Tikki Tikki Tembo fell into the well it took so long for Chang to tell his mother that Tikki Tikki Tembo almost drowned and took days for him to recover. In the end it turned out that Tikki Tikki Tembo's very long and honorable name almost cost him his life. The story ends by discussing Chinese tradition. On the last page the story says "And from that day to this the Chinese have always thought it wise to give all their children little, short names instead of great longs names." This story was enjoyable and I would recommend it to children of many ages. I especially like how the book created a story of why something came to be; why the Chinese use short names.
    • 4/5
      In my opinion, Tikki Tikki Tembo is a decent book. One reason I enjoyed this book is because of the main characters name. When I was little, my mother would read the story to me and my older brother. I remember struggling to pronounce the long name of the main character “Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.” The main reason I liked this book was how the author depicted the relationship between the two brothers. The brothers take care of each other even if the younger brother is jealous of his older brother. The younger brother is named Chang, which meant “little nothing.” The book was a helpful tool in teaching kindness to me when I was little. Even though Chang had a shorter name he still found a ladder in order to get Tiki out of the well. The illustrations also add a vivid historical touch, depicting life in rural China. The main message of the story is to show how family is important.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book because of the interesting aspect mentioned at the ending of the book. Initially, the author mentions how long names were given to the older children because they were honored and highly valued and short names were given to the younger children because they meant "little to nothing." I liked the language used in this book because of the repetitive pattern. At first, Tikki tikki tembo had to save Chang and he quickly did but when Chang had to save Tikki tikki tembo it was more of a struggle. Because of the initial way that the author described how Chang fell in the well made it seem like Tikki tikki tembo would be quickly saved also. I also enjoyed the organization of the story. As previously mentioned, the author made the wording almost identical with different names. This conspicuously implied that Tikki tikki tembo would have a safe rescue nevertheless Chang had difficultly saying his brother's name over and over again. Every time Chang mustered up the breath to say Tikki tikki tembo's full name, I wondered if he would be able to get it out right and essentially receive help. The big message of the story comes at the end when the readers are reminded of the first-born having long names and now realizing that it is more wise to give your children short names.
    • 5/5
      This book is a classic Chinese legend about a young boy who almost drowns in a well because his brother cannot pronounce his very long and difficult name. It is a silly and entertaining read aloud that you can pair with teaching students about how names in other cultures have certain definitions or meanings. Students of all ages will laugh out loud when the teacher says "Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo". The main message in the story is to give readers a slight insight into Chinese culture. The illustrations are also beautifully done and express true Chinese art.
    • 2/5
      I really enjoyed this book as a child, though reading it again and reading several other reviews, it is actually rather racist. The author says it is a retelling of a Chinese folktale, but Tikki Tikki Tembo's exhaustively long name doesn't actually mean anything in Chinese and instead plays off of how funny the Chinese language sounds to Westerners. It is a very cute story, but seeing as the setting is Ancient China yet the language is inaccurate, the setting puts children off and gives them an inaccurate idea of China and its people. Arlene Mosel is an inauthentic author as well, as she is from Ohio and is of no Asian descent. It would be much more beneficial to students to use actual Chinese folktales that celebrate Chinese culture.
    • 4/5
      This story would definitely be fun to read aloud to a class, and also be fun for new readers! This book would be appropriate from kindergarten to second grade. I like this book because I can absolutely see children laugh and be engaged with this story. It also exposes the Chinese culture and art throughout the story, making it extra engaging. The little Tikki Tikki Tembo-No Sa Rembo-Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo thought highly of himself for having such a long and prestigious name compared to his brother, Chang. Change fell in the well, and his brother was able to quickly get help from the Old Man with the ladder. However, when Tikki fell into the well, his brother had to take extra time explaining what happened and who needed the Old Man's help. The moral of the story is that sometimes having an important title can get you into trouble!