Tikki Tikki Tembo

Retold by: Arlene Mosel

Illustrated by: Blair Lent

Multicultural/Folk Tale

~This is a classic tale set in China about two young boys. At this time in China, it was custom for the first born son to be given a long and honorable name, while the second child was given a very short and not so honorable name. There was a mother who named her first born son Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, meaning the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world, while her second born son was named Chang, meaning little or nothing. One day the two little boys were playing by the well and Chang fell in. Tikki tikki tembo went to tell his mother, and then got The Old Man With The Ladder to save Chang. The Old Man got to Chang, and pumped water out of him and put air in, leaving Chang as good as new. The brothers stayed away from the well for while until one day the boys played on the well again. This time Tikki tikki tembo fell in and Chang had to go tell his mother. Tikki tikki tembo's name was so long and Chnag was so out of breath she could barely understand him. Finally she understood and Chang went to get The Old Man With The Ladder. The Old Man was dreaming and Chang had to say Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo's name so many times for The Old Man to understand what was going on. Finally he realized what Chang said and they went to save Tikki tikki tembo, but by the time they got to him he had been there awhile and it took a long time for tikki tikki tembo to get back to normal. From that moment on, the people in China started naming all their children with short names.

~Tikki tikki tembo would be a great book to read to introduce children to Chinese culture. Read this book and then talk about Chineese customs and traditions, or have someone who is Chinese to come and talk to students about this. Later, have students research the Chinese New Year, and then celebrate that in the classroom.