The cover simply says retold by Mosel, but it doesn't specify what tale is being retold. According to Wikipedia it's based on The Woman Who Lost Her Dumplings as originally collected by Lafcadio Hearn. I haven't read this tale, but I have read some of Hearn's other collected stories and enjoyed them. 

The story is funny but feels a little abridged. I thought I had missed something towards the end. I'll try to track down a copy of Hearn's tale to compare it. 

ETA: I found and read Hearn's original story and there are additional bits that Mosel edited out of her retelling that help the story make more sense (why those bits were cut out I don't understand... the original tale is not that much longer than The Funny Little Woman).

I always thought this book was set somewhere in Africa based on the sounds in the name. I also thought it sounded racist. I was half right. It's one of those that claims to be based on a folktale but is really just amalgamated nonsense. 

Read this post on Grace Lin's blog for more information. And work your way through Time's 100 Best Children's Books of All Time with caution (it's super super white and not very good). 

Tikki Tikki Tembo is another classic book from my childhood that I loved to have read to me and read myself. Honestly, anywho we reads the full name of the first son can’t help but smile because it’s just fun to say! This is another book that has a beat while reading it and is a hit with shared reading due to the expression in the second son’s voice having to repeat his brother’s long name over and over again. This book is sure to give the any age group a giggle and also make them appreciate their names a little more. A great lesson using this book would be reading this book aloud to the class and having a writing assignment to allow the students to describe why they love their name and possibly the story behind why their parent chose it if there is a story. When they are done writing, allow them one by one to come up to the teacher’s desk and look up their name meaning online for fun to add at the bottom of their page. A great way to start the year with self love! 

Guided Reading Level: N

Title:  Tikki Tikki Tembo

Author:  Arlene Mosel

Artist:  Blair Lent

Genre:  China / Family / Drama / Parental Favoritism

Year Published: 1968

Year Read:  1993

Publisher:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Intense Scenes and themes of Child Mistreatment)

I actually first heart of this book on a Weston Woods video and I really enjoyed this story! “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is an old Chinese folktale retold by Arlene Mosel along with illustrations by Blair Lent and it is about how a young boy named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo (what a name!) gets into big trouble because of his long name. “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is certainly a great book for children who are fans of Chinese folklore!

I have always found this book extremely interesting to read, especially about the part where the first sons are given long and extravagant names, while the second sons are always given short names in Ancient China. Arlene Mosel has done an excellent job at retelling this ancient Chinese folktale as the story is cute and somewhat intense at the same time. I really loved the way that Arlene Mosel repeats Tikki tikki tembo’s long name (Tikki tikki tembo – no sa rembo - chari bari ruchi – pip peri pembo) over and over again in the book since it is a huge tongue twister to say fast! I also loved the close relationship between Tikki tikki tembo and his brother Chang as they loved to play with each other all the time and they are always willing to help each other out during their time of need. Blair Lent’s illustrations are simplistic since there are only yellow, blue, white, black, grey and green colors on each page, but the illustrations still make the story entertaining to read, especially as they capture the true essence of Ancient China and it was also interesting to see a big contrast in clothing between Tikki tikki tembo and Chang as Tikki tikki tembo is dressed in a blue royal looking outfit while Chang is always dressed in a yellow country styled outfit, which indicates to the audience about the importance of their names.



The reason why I gave this book a four star rating instead of a five star rating is because of the way that Chang was treated in this book. Since Chang is the second born son of the family, his mother never really noticed him and they also seemed to lack any concern for when Chang fell into the well. Also, near the end of the story, it was unclear whether Chang was treated any better after the incident in the well. I usually do not approve of children being treated less kindly than their older or younger siblings, so this was a big issue for me in this book. Also, some children might feel like that their parents are paying more to their younger or older sibling and that might upset them, so parents should tell their children that they will always love all of their children equally.

All in all, “Tikki Tikki Tembo” is a great book for fans of Chinese folklore and for children who enjoy reading about some good sibling bonding! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the scenes where the boys fall into the well might be too intense for smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Genre: Drama / Adventure / Folktale

Year Published: 1972