Tikki Tikki Tembo

Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel introduces readers to Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, the first and most honored son of his mother. Tikki tikki tembo and his younger brother Chang sometimes disobey their mother and play by the well near the river. When Chang falls in the well one day, Tikki tikki tembo has no trouble explaining the situation to his mother. The Old Man With the Ladder is able to pull Chang out of the well, and he is soon as good as new. However, it’s a different story when Tikki tikki tembo falls in the well some time later. Chang has a horribly difficult time getting his mother and the Old Man With the Ladder to understand what has happened because of his brother’s great long name. Tikki tikki tembo is eventually rescued, but the Chinese people learned a valuable lesson from his story and now only give their children very short names. Children will delight in the bright and lively illustrations and the rhythmic poetry of the lines.