Tikki Tikki Tembo

by Mosel, Arlene; Lent, Blair

• ISBN13: 9780805011661
• ISBN10: 0805011668
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1989-10-01
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Summary

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo! Three 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 re-creation of an ancient Chinese folktale has hooked legions of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to learn about the danger of having such an honorable name as Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

Author Biography

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.

 

Blair Lent began illustrating picture books in the 1960s. He received the Caldecott Medal in 1973 for The Funny Little Woman, by Arlene Mosel, and has also been awarded three Caldecott Honors. He lives and works in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

"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