Tikki Tikki Tembo

by Arlene Mosel, Blair Lent (Illustrator)

Overview

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-
chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!

Five decades and more than one million copies later children still love hearing about the boy with the long name who fell down the well. Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent's classic has hooked legions of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to shout the name of Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

Tikki Tikki Tembo is the winner of the 1968 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Picture Books.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805006629
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	03/15/1968
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	80,923
Product dimensions:	10.26(w) x 8.76(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	AD1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Arlene Mosel (1921-1996)’s debut children’s book, Tikki Tikki Tembo, was 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 also wrote The Funny Little Woman, an Honor Book for the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Awards.

Blair Lent (1930-2009) received the Caldecott Medal for The Funny Little Woman, and three Caldecott Honors. He is the illustrator of Ms. Mosel's Tikki Tikki Tembo, a bestseller since its publication in 1968, and Bruce Goldstone's The Beastly Feast.

Editorial Reviews

In this folktale, help is slow in coming when a Chinese boy falls into a well, since the boy's long and difficult name must be pronounced in full. Beautifully expressive drawings enhance the book's Oriental feel. Ages 4-7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 3—In this classic Chinese folktale, retold by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent (Holt, 1968), Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo and younger brother Chang are playing near a well and Chang falls in. The older boy goes for help and Chang is rescued. Months later, the older brother falls in, but when Chang runs to get help, his brother's very long name requires too much breath and Chang can't get his mother to understand. In the end, Tikki tikki tembo is rescued. "And from that day to this, the Chinese have always thought it wise to give all their children little, short names." Marcia Gay Harden provides wonderful narration, giving each character a distinctive voice. A few sound effects add to the telling. Have the book available so that listeners can peruse Blair Lent's lovely line and wash illustrations. A great addition for listening centers.—Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings School, Hoover, AL

School Library Journal

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is the full name of the firstborn son in the Chinese family of this story. As the firstborn's, his name must be spoken completely and reverently. This old folktale of what happens when the boy falls into a well and his younger brother attempts to get help is nicely retold and should make excellent read-aloud material....Bright, active, and delightfully expressive.” —School Library Journal

“On spacious, uncluttered pages the artist has extended the story with wonderfully droll ink-and-wash drawings that combine imaginative beauty with a true Chinese spirit.” —The Horn Book

“Just right for storytelling and tongue-twisting repeating, and . . . for reading aloud.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Chang or Tikki Tikki Tembo-No Sa Rembo-Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo--which name would you want to articulate if you needed to report a terrible accident? In Arlene Mosel's beloved retelling, two Chinese brothers find their mother’s warning to stay away from the well difficult to heed and suffer the ignominious fate of falling into its depths. Each brother, in turn, finds a way to warn his mother and rouse the old man with the ladder. Dion Graham narrates with firmness and a reverence for the esteemed elder characters. His pace is deliberate and plays to the listener’s anticipation. Graham takes delight in the repetitive phrases: “my first and honored son, heir of all I possess," the "step over step" of the old man, to say nothing of Tikki Tikki Tembo's multi-syllabic name. Acquaint or reacquaint yourself with this satisfying tale. A.R. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 04 - AudioFile