Tikki Tikki Tembo

Great quality book. Very cute story for kids. Mine seem to enjoy all the different sounds that are in this story and it's funny for them even though its kind of serious material (drowning) at times.

I read this book when I was in first grade, and I still love reading it to my students and younger cousins. It's a great book for young children, and they love learning how to say Tikki Tikki Tembo's name.

We borrowed this book from the public library when our children were little, they are all now over the age of 29, and they loved it to bits. We decided to buy it for our two grandchildren and they too are loving the book. It is a real children's classic!

I used this book in Energy Express this past summer as a read-aloud for family week. The kids really took to the book. Every day after that, I would have arguments over who would get the book first at story time. Even my non-reader wanted to read it! It was the favorite book and the one that always kept them interested in reading. They even did a play on it for Open House, which shows just how much fun kids can have with it! Definitely a good way to keep kids occupied.

I loved this book so very much as a child. I couldn't wait to get it and read it with my little guy - and boy oh boy was I surprised to find that it feels kind of racist in today's day and age. It's completely harmless, but one just doesn't say things like "and that's why the Chinese give their sons short names today" anymore. It just feels weird! I'm not crazy about the fact that the mom in the book is really nice to her elder son and mean to (or at least disinterested in) her younger son, but that didn't bother me as a kid (probably because I'm the older sibling). The whole name, which was so much fun to say as a kid, now feels kind of racist, like hearing someone pretend to speak Chinese by saying, "ching chong chang." But the thing I really can't get over is how bad the problem solving is in the book - it kind of implies the whole culture is unable to do basic root cause analysis. Is it terrible that I read the last page as, "And that is why all wells in China are fenced off, so that children can't accidentally fall in them" rather than "and that is why all children in China have short names"? I probably should just put this book away before I find my son singing "tikki tikki tembo, no sa rembo..." etc. at the top of his voice at the grocery store.

It's been 23 years since I've heard the story... brings me back to first grade, sitting in the back of the classroom with the book in my hands and big clunky blue and white headphones on while listening to the recorded voice say the name over and over again... and now I've got two girls and want them to hear the story as well!

I used Tikki Tikki Tembo during our theme "All About Me." The families wrote a story or an explanation of their child's name. We read Tikki Tikki Tembo and children compared and contrasted it to their own name. The children like the repetition in the story line. I am very satisfied with this purchase. I live in Hawaii and even with the shipping and handling I got a great deal, I purchased 3 Big Books and will be purchasing more to add to my Big Book collection. Mahalo.

This is an excellent book! My 53 year old sister and I (38 years old) were driving home one day, and she spouted out Tikki Tikke Tembo... etc... and I couldn't stop laughing! She remembered that it was one of my favorite books as a child. I am so glad that I found it on the store.com! WONDERFUL!!!!!

A great short for my five year old. Funny and we re- read it regularly. What I wasn't happy with was that the kindle download re - arranged the words on two of the pages so it was unreadable :( after reading several times I know how the sequence of the sentences should be read but if i pay for a book it should be the way it should be. Would have received 4 maybe 5 stars but that ruined the reading experience for me.

This book is just what I wanted for my Great Niece. It's the same story that I fell in love with as a child back in the 60's. It's a wonderful story and gives a positive message. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Fantastic book to read aloud! Also wonderful for introducing cultural diversity. A must for all children's libraries. I vividly remember reading this book with my mother growing up. I absolutely loved it!

This book is a favorite in schools all over. The children LOVE to repeat the name, and in turn get excited about books and reading.

It is not about ethnics!

It is about exciting children and the next thing to poetry.

My son was so excited to download this book to his Kindle. We've read it a bunch of times. And good thing - it seems like a scanned version of the hard copy. The words are small, and there are actually some words missing from pages. There's another page where the lines are all jumbled. I was able to improvise, based on knowing the story so well. But once he can read it on his own, it will be very confusing. Disappointed in this version.

I loved this book as a child and got this for my son on his new kindle. Unfortunately, several of the pages are cut off and one page you have to read the right page first and then the left. I hope I can get a refund from the store.

I liked this book as a child so bought to read to niece and nephew on my kindle fire hd. Was disappointed because sentences were missing. It cut them off after a certain point, and left you hanging on each page.

What the holy heck?!!! Im not sure what my husband was thinking when he got this book but my daughter never had the chance to hear it.. I looked it over and refused to allow her to hear that mess! I'm sure it was appreciate at some period of time but its not longer acceptable to mock other cultures not to mentioning teaching kids that only the first born has value... Dude.. Not ok..

So yeah, the book is racist and to be honest, that wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't a children's book. I don't particularly blame the store for selling it, but I do blame them for calling it "Asian Literature" and I do judge the hundreds of people who give this book a five-star review thus leading parents to continue to buy it. If it was an adult book, it would be some sort of satirical cultural commentary on race, but instead it's a children's book with no other lesson than to say "Hee hee! Chinese name funny!" I understand that a lot of people grew up reading this stuff and want to defend it, but this was published in 1968 and while it obviously wasn't a joke of a story back then, anyone with any sense should be able to realize that it's a joke of a story today.

Of course the story is not racist--but that is not the point. Of course the premise of the story is absurd--but that is not the point. The point is the author did not care enough to be accurate--to differentiate between the Asians ethnicities that are too often categorized into one group. It is disresepectful to categorize all Asians as the same. Each and every ethnicity is VERY different. THEY ARE FROM ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. The deficiencies in the book specifically is that it is based in China, but the children's names are Japanese and almost everything in the book visually is Japanese. The author obviously is more familiar with Japanese culture than Chinese culture. Which makes sense if you know American history.

Let's say I was an author/illustrator and wrote a story/adventure about Native Americans and depicted them as such: living in three story mansions, not living in groups--staying in seperate areas very far apart keeping to themselves, cooking on the stove top, dressing as we do today in America...and why don't we give the main characters names like Ishmael, Gustav, Jenna, or Marquita. This is not different than what the author did in this book.

All of this may not seem like a big deal since it is a children's book and they don't know the difference right? Right, they probably don't. In Japan and China I am sure they do but anyway-- Is there a specific age that the parents of that child will choose to be more accurate with anything they tell them? Of course this book alone is not going to confuse and mesh their idea of Chinese and Japanese people together forever--however when should we start differentiating? Or should we just not differentiate because we don't care and it doesn't matter?

It would probably be the most correct (not easiest) to just be truthful and accurate from the beginning. What reason is there not to be? Lack of education or effort to learn what is accurate? I should write a book about history and call it credible. Maybe we should just believe everything we read, even textbooks in school that are 100% factual of course. Surely they have depicted every war/event in history in it's entirety, 100%, rather than taking it out of context and only giving you 80% of the story.

I hope people reading this are not too dense to think outside the box and put themselves in someone else's shoes. It's not an easily acquired skill, especially in America. Overall, the book is a fun book but it is not an accurate depiction of the Chinese culture. This shows the lack of effort to differentiate between Asians which is only one problem among many regarding the demeanor towards Asians in America.

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I bought this as a gift for a best friend who is Chinese. After reading the book, I could not bring myself to give it to her. As other reviewers have pointed out, the story contains multiple inaccuracies related to the Chinese culture. I would hope that teachers who are reading this book to their classes would address these issues, and not perpetuate misconceptions and stereotypes.

Even if I could bring myself to find humor in this story, I found I had to modify the story when reading to my twin boys, since the mother in the story favors one son over the other, thereby giving him the longer, harder to pronounce, funny sounding name. (Yeah, let's laugh at how weird the Chinese language sounds). However, the story did not change her favoritism. It just made her shorten his name.

I do not want my boys to have any doubt that I love them equally and unconditionally. No doubt this could make the existing sibling rivalry even worse. The only lesson worth learning in this book is for little toddlers to learn caution, heed advice, and observe rules. Can we teach this lesson without presenting another culture in a derogatory manner?

I was thrilled to see this book, as I looked through the library shelves this weekend! It was amazing at how much I remembered just by looking at the title of the book. I immediately said to myself, this is about the boy with the long name that fell in the well. I loved this story as a little girl. As I read, it did not disappoint. It was just as I remembered and I was able to share it with my husband and daughter.

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo and his brother Chang spent their days playing by the well. Young brothers having fun and playing as little boys do. Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, the first born was given a long prestigious name to show that he was older and honored by his family; whereas, Chang was the second child and was given a plain and simple name. Tragedy struck and the folk tale claims that changes were made to the name tradition.

In the classroom, I would read the picture book Tikki Tikki Tembo to share the Chinese culture and discuss the importance of our names. Whether they are short, long, or somewhere in between; names are the first given portion of our identity.

For years I have heard great things about this book. We are a Charlotte Mason homeschool family and this book is super popular among other CM homeschoolers. It was always checked out of our library so I finally just bought. And now I'm getting rid of it. My kids were disturbed that the mother very obviously loved the older boy more than the other. To be honest, I was disturbed by that as well. I was sure that the ending would have the mother realizing how wrong she is but nope! The moral of the story is to give your kids short names. Definitely a fail on the author's part. Also, I explained to my children that there were several things in this book that weren't actually Chinese (like Tikki's name) and none of them understood why someone would call something Chinese when it really isn't. It's a question I would liked answered as well. All in all, this is a ridiculous book. And what's sad is that homeschoolers AND public school teachers are using this book as a tool to teach Chinese literature.

The fun part of this story is getting to recite the funny name along with your kids! The not fun part is that your kids are learning incorrectly about Chinese culture. The story should use a made-up country name because the facts presented are pretty bizarre. It's fun until about age six, some kids really don't take to it well. Books don't need to be educational at all, but stories that present really wrong facts can confuse children.

If you're my age or above, you may remember an old campfire song about "Eddie Cucha Cacha Camma Tosaneera Tosanara Samma Gamma Wacky Brown". I don't know if that song inspired this story or vice-versa, but the plot is pretty much the same. The story is about two brothers. One has a very long name and the other has a short name. One day the boy with the longer name falls into a well, and his brother runs to find help. Because he has such a long name, though, it takes quite some time for him to get the word to people who can rescue him. I don't want to give away too much, but this story does have a somewhat happier ending than the aforementioned campfire song.

I certainly don't want to read this to my two sons. Notwithstanding the possible racism, which I have to confess I was mostly unaware of due to my lack of education about other cultures (the illustrations made me think of Japan, but I didn't want to assume that China couldn't have similar art and clothing styles).

The story is this: there are two brothers in "ancient China", where the first and oldest son traditionally has a very long name, and the second son has hardly any name at all because they don't really matter. The elder brother's name is "Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo", which is not Chinese, but the book claims means "The most wonderful thing in the whole wide world," and the youngest is "Chang", which apparently is Chinese, but does not actually mean "Little" or "Nothing". According to the internet, "Chang" means "constant" or "often", but depending on the intonation, can mean a whole lot of things, including "long" and "great" (as in "The Great Wall of China"), so kind of the opposite of "Little." Anyhow, every morning their mother washes clothes at a stream by her house. On the bank of the stream, there's an old well. Which seems a strange place to put a well, since clearly there is water right next to it. Unless the people were concerned (and knowledgeable) about sanitation, in which case they were much more advanced than ancient Europeans. Again, I can't say whether or not this is accurate, as I don't know enough about ancient China, or this mythical place that the author has conjured up which she claims is equivalent. The mother says not to play by the well because they will fall in, and they don't listen to her and Chang falls in. The older brother goes to the mother and says, "Chang fell in the well." Initially, the stream is so loud that she can't hear him, but then he yells at her and the mother says, "That troublesome boy." TTTSRBRPP has to go get "The Old Man with the Ladder" (kind of a sad thing to be known for), who lowers the ladder into the well, climbs in, and brings the boy back out. Chang gets better very quickly. They stay away from the well for several months, but then there's there's a festival and they go to the well to eat their rice cakes, play around, and TTTSRBRPP falls in. Chang goes to his mother and says that Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo has fallen in the well. Like the first time, she can't hear him because the stream is too loud. He repeats himself, but she still can't hear, responding, "Tiresome Child, what are you trying to say?" He replies, at the top of his lungs, "Honorable Mother! Chari Bari Rembo Tikki Tikki Pip Pip has fallen into the well!" She says back, "Unfortunate Son, surely the evil spirits have bewitched your tongue. Speak your brother's name with reverence." Very slowly, out of breath, Chang says the name correctly. She says, "Oh, not my first and honored son, heir of all I possess!" She tells him to go get the Old Man with the Ladder. You would think he would have learned from his own experience in the well that his mother can't really help his brother get out, and probably should have skipped her and gone straight to the old man, who apparently cares less about propriety than about actually saving people's lives, but Chang is a young boy, so maybe it's beyond his understanding. But by the third time, she should have at least heard the part about falling in the well (she heard enough to know he was messing up his brother's name), or seen the emotion on her son's face and realized something dangerous was happening, so at that point she was just being horribly petty at the risk of her eldest son's life. Once Chang gets to the old man, he asks for help using his brother's full name, but finds the old man to be asleep. "Miserable child, you disturbed my dream. I had floated into a purple mist and found my youth again. There were glittering gateways and jeweled blossoms. If I close my eyes, perhaps I will again return." Chang finally just shortens it to, "Please, Old Man with the Ladder, please help my brother out of the cold well." The old man responds, "Your mother's 'precious pearl' has fallen into the well!" And runs as fast as he can. But by the time he gets the eldest out of the well, it takes TTTSRBRPP months to get better. "And from that day to this the Chinese have always thought it wise to give all their children little, short names instead of great long names."

From what I've read since reading this book, the Chinese do not have, and never have had, a tradition which dictates the length of their children's names. Nor do they wear kimonos or Japanese-style sandals. Unfortunately, many people see that this is supposed to be a Chinese folk tale, and assume it accurately portrays ancient China. Which it does not. Thankfully, the characters are not drawn as caricatures or anything that horrible.

However, even if this book wasn't culturally insensitive, even if it were set in a mythical land instead of a real one, it would still be a bad book. It depicts an institutionalized mistreatment of younger sons, suggesting they are worthless since they lack inheritance. If Chang was a girl (and thereby also ineligible to inherit property in many societies), this would be unbelievably sexist. As it is, there's no clear "-ism" for it, but I'm not reading it to my two sons. I both my children equally, regardless of their age, and throughout our current society, the vast majority of wills are written so that all heirs get the property divided equally among them. The mother belittles her younger son to the point of almost killing her favored eldest. She clearly plays favorites, and horribly neglects her children. It is a toxic message. It's supposed to be a funny story about long names, but I don't even understand what it's trying to say. What's the message the author's trying to get across? "Don't give your children long names"? That doesn't quite fit. "Here's why Chinese people have short names"? But that's not a thing. They don't have short names, any more than Europeans do. And it's not like it was a common misconception or stereotype, either. I'm guessing, based on her name alone, that Arlene Mosel is not Chinese. Although it's technically possible that she was, and married someone with the last name Mosel. Or heck, maybe "Mosel" is actually a Chinese name, and I'm woefully ignorant. But I'm disinclined to believe her as far as Chinese folk tales go, until she shows me she's done the research. And, according to my own sparse research, she didn't.

If the mother were punished for her callous treatment of her children, especially the youngest, then maybe her behavior would act as an anti-example. But as it is, with no repentance or personal consequences (only her eldest son suffers for it), I don't want this read to my kids. I don't want her behavior modeled for them. I don't want them to worry I'll ignore them if they fall down a well, or treat them differently based on their age alone. And I don't want them to feel that either of them is worthless. Not even in a relative sense.

Message: Chinese people are exactly like Japanese people, except with stupid (nonexistent) traditions. Also, among siblings, only the oldest son is important and everybody else is basically disposable.

For more children's book reviews, see the drttmk website.

The struggle of the younger kid trying to say his older brother's long name might be funny to the kids. However I don't like the fact that the mother is favoring one child over the other in a little kids' book. I don't want my kid to think that it is okay or it is something that some parents do. The lesson learned at the end doesn't make it clear either...

You know you have a classic on your hands when your son sees the book you're showing him and goes, "I LOVE that book! We read it in library class!" So already, I had the battle half won when I told my two kids that I received the book and CD to review. As soon as we got in the car to drive to grandma's house, they asked me to put the CD in and leaned together in the back seat with the book open between them.

MacMillan Audio has taken a classic that is over 40 years old and added new life to TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO by adding an unabridged audio book to a paperback edition. Read by the actress Marcia Gay Harden, kids and adults alike can enjoy the tongue twister of a name (that I'll proudly admit my son can rattle off in no time flat) story that many of us have grown up with.

TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO is an old Chinese folktale explaining why they have such short first names. In old times, the Chinese gave their firstborn son long names to honor them. Second sons were given hardly any name at all. Tikki Tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is Tikki Tikki tembo's full name. His brother's name is merely Chang.

When Chang falls into a well, it's easy for Tikki Tikki tembo to relay the message to his mother and ultimately the man who rescues him. But when the roles become reversed and Tikki Tikki tembo falls into the well, poor Chang runs out of breath trying to relay the message to those that can help rescue him. It's from this event that it is told that Chinese found it wise to stick to short names, like Chang.

Ms. Harden does a wonderful job reading the story. She picks the tempo up when there is stress or drama going on. She over-emphasizes the silliness that is Tikki Tikki tembo's name. And there are many wonderful background sound effects that are employed in the story. There is the sound of running water when both boys are trying to inform their mother of each others falls into the well. There is the sound of running feet as they each try to get help. And the CD has both a read-along version as well as a storytelling version. One has a Chinese gong designating when to turn the page, the other flows uninterrupted.

Included with the set is a copy of the book. With the classic illustrations, it will be sure to bring back memories to the parents of the children who are just discovering the wonders of TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO for the first time.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Reviewed by Amanda Schafer

Little Chang lives in China and is the little brother of Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. His brother received this name because he was the oldest, and it was Chinese tradition to give a long and important name to the oldest child.

When Chang gets into mischief and needs his mother's help, Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is able to get help quickly because Chang's name is so short. However, when Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo gets into mischief, Chang has trouble getting anyone to help him because he has to say this big long name and he has to say it reverently to show respect for his brother. So by the time Chang gets help for his older brother, Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is a very sick little boy. Parents quickly learned after this to name all of their children quick, short names so they can get help easily when needed.

I enjoyed reading this book over and over to my boys! They would laugh out loud at the large name and how many times I had to say it. But more than that, we used this as a springboard for discussion on obedience. The little boys in the book were told not to play near the well and they disobeyed, which caused serious harm to Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

Initially it seemed to be somewhat of a meaningless book, but it really grows on a person! I found myself saying his name over and over in my head long after we were finished reading the story!

Armchair Interviews says: Short story about a long name.

Tiki Tiki Tembo
Arlene Mosel

The oldest son was named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo, which means "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!"

The second son was named Chang.

When Tiki tiki tembo fell into the well, his poor brother had to run and get help. It took so long to run and get help, and even longer to say his brother's name.

This is a re-telling of a Chinese fable. My daughter brought this book home from a book sale when she was in elementary school; she read it so many times the book wore out. We got another copy of this book so I could read it to my grandchildren. Children love to say this boy's name. Every time we come to the name, a different child wants to say it. Soon, I find that the children can read the book to me.

Pick up a copy of Tikki Tikki Tembo, and watch the excitement on the children's faces.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

In this book, the child's name is Tikki tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. It's quite a long name. But one day while he, and his brother were playing at the well, his brother fell in. So he ran to his mom and told her and she got the old man with the ladder and they got him out and he was fine. But when they were playing by the well abgin, Tikki tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo fell in the well, so his little brother Chang ran to his mother but he was so out of breath when he reached her he couldn't say what he was trying to say so he had to repeat it over and pver. But when she finally understood she told his to go and fetch the old man with the ladder and the same thing happened when he was talking with him. He didn't understand so he had to keep repeating it. But finally when they got to the well, and pull Tikki tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo out, he wasn't doing very well and it took him a while to recover. I liked this book because it has sort of a suspense plot because you dont really know what is going to happen. Also because when i was younger I liked to memorize some of my books, and I had a tough time memorizing this ojne, but it was fun.

I had this book as a child (still do actually) and remember reading it often and memorizing the name so I could say it. Flash forward to when I went into high school...in my first history class I was given China to represent in our model United Nations activity. Having read this book as a kid, I thought it was funny (and totally appropriate mind you) to suggest I could use this name while we did the activity. Obviously this was not appropriate and the response I received was not nice, from the teacher or my classmates. I was really embarrassed. Please parents, save your kid the pain and don't read them this book. It will only teach them to mock other cultures and think it's okay (even if it's not necessarily malicious).

I first read this book in the 80s when I was babysitting. I gladly bought it for my child, primarily for the name rhyme . This book is not politically correct by our standards (it portrays some asian stereotypes; I'm no scholar, they might be historically accurate). Still, it tells an interesting, and different story. I find the illustrations remarkably good considering the genre (a faux chinese woodcut style?) and certainly different.
The story is as follows: two little boys, the older with the long name, and the younger with the short name, play near the well. The younger falls into the well, the older runs for help. Later, the older falls into the well, but the younger, seeking help, cannot get the older boy's name out to communicate the problem, as the name is soooooo long. Everyone lives. From there after, children were given short names.
Children like this book because of the boy's long, lyrical name. They love to say the name in rhyme -- but it seems to be a sound-byte, the rest of the story disappears. The illustrations are much different from many other books, and this is a good book to have on the shelf because it is so different in voice and illustrations.

I've sometimes wondered what makes a book a classic. One thing that stands out is whether a book resonates with my kiddos. The books they ask for night after night, the books they want to act out, these are the classics. Tikki Tikki Tembo was a fast favorite in our house. My four year old asked for me to read it each night at bedtime, then loved acting it out. I'd have to be the old man with the ladder and fish out the firstborn son from the well. It's a story that encouraged further questions from my little ones, and spurred on imaginative play. Definitely recommend.

If you, like my pretty self, grew up reading (or being read) the tale of Tikki Tikki Tembo, then you already know exactly the correct cadences and tones to use when pronouncing his name. Come on, everybody! Say it along with me... Tikki Tikki Tembo-No Sa Rembo-Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo. Whew! It's a mouthful, which is of course the point. In this book (originally published, I kid you not, in 1968) we learn about the dangers of over-monikering one's own offspring.
Two boys live with their mother near an old well. The eldest is considered the more important of the two, and his is the extraordinarily long name. His younger brother is named Chang. Chang and Tikki love one another, and when Chang falls into the well his brother rushes off to save him. Tikki fetches the old man with the ladder, who rescues the sodden boy. Later (not the same day, thankfully) the boys play around the well again and this time it's Tikki who has fallen in. When Chang attempts to tell his mother what has happened, it's all he can do to spout out that enormous mouthful of a name. When his mother finally understands, he too is sent to the old man with the ladder and a very similar scene occurs. In the end Tikki is rescued, though his prolonged well-exposure leaves him sick for a little while. Hence (according to this tale and, yes yes, not historically accurate in the least), "the Chinese have always thought it wise to give all their children little, short names instead of great long names".
When I was read this book as a kid I remember disliking small sections of it (whilst enjoying the entire thing as a whole). I felt bad for Chang, a boy whose name translated roughly to "little or nothing". Yet Chang and Tikki don't engage in any sibling rivalry or bad feelings. They play together as happily as can be. And though their mother does refer to Tikki with such names as "my first and honored son, heir of all I possess", the final shot of the book is Chang seated snugly on his mother's lap as they speak with the bed-ridden Tikki. So is the book racist? I dunno. Not to my eyes, though I've already admitted that having been read this book while a child, I'm biased towards it. I really don't think there's anything in here to seriously offend someone, unless becoming offended is their goal. Yes, we can all agree that the clothing is Japanese while the characters are Chinese. Confusing, certainly. And the last line in the story is a bit odd, but personally I don't feel it will turn your children into raving-mad racists. It's just an amusing story told with a great deal of zip and verve. Author Arlene Mosel has told it in such a way that the reader really enjoys repeated passages that say things like, "He pumped the water out of him and pushed the air into him, and pumped the water out of him and pushed the air into him". Blair Lent's illustrations are just as amusing and fun. Though a book of limited colors, it almost seems to the reader as if there are millions of subtle variations on the blues and greens shown throughout the story.
The fact of the matter is, this is just a great book. Top drawer. If you've an ability to tell a tale well, then it is a crime and shame that you are not reading this book to a little one right now. For as long as children enjoy hearing rhymes and syncopated rhythms, this book will remain a popular item.

This book takes place in China many, many years ago. The family in this book has to sons. The first born son is the most honored son so he has an outstandingly long name, though the second son's name is very short. The second born son's name is Chang, which meant little or nothing, and the first born son's name is Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo, which meant the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world. One day the two boys were playing by a well while their mother was doing her laundry. Chang was prancing around the top of the well when he slipped and fell into the well. So then Tikki Tikki Tembo left the well and went to find his mother. He told his mother about how they were both goofing around by the well and how Chang had fallen in. His mother told him to go get the old man with the ladder to get Chang out of the well. So Tikki tikki tembo ran as fast as he could to get the old man and when he got there he told the old man exactly what had happened. The old man go his ladder and ran down to the well as fast as he could. The old man got Chang out of the well and Chang was perfectly fine because he wasn't in the well very long. A few weeks later however, the two boys were playing around the well again and this time Tikki tikki tembo fell into the well. Chang ran to tell their mother what had happened, when he found her he couldn't even say Tikki tikki's name because it was so long. It took him a few tries to get his mother to understand was Chang was saying so finally she told him to get the old man with the ladder. So when Chang got to the old man's house Chang had to wake him up because he was sleeping. Chang was really out of breath now and it was so hard for him to say his brother's name that he had to rest and catch his breath before he could say anything. So when he could finally talk he told the old man what had happened. The man went and got Tikki tikki out of the well, but since he was in the water so long he had to stay in bed several weeks.
The moral of this story is to not give your child a long name in case he gets caught in a well. I thought this story was pretty good. I rate it a 3 because it was interesting but it didn't really have a point to it.

This was good book, I remember reading it as a child and liking the very long name I just could not remember past Tikki Tikki Tembo or what the story was about. It used to be a Chinese tradition to always name your first son with a great long name. So tikki for short had a very long and honorable name but when he finds himself in big trouble and people need to say his name in order to help him out, that long name isn't so great. This was the case with t ikki, he fell into the well and because his little brother was the only one who saw him fall he was the one who had to go find help. He ran so fast that by the time he got to his mother he was winded and could not pronounce his brothers name right. He tried several times to get his name right. Meanwhile his brother is in a well drowning. After he was saved the Chinese people thought it would be wise to name their children with very short names.

The intention was to give all of children two middle names (the second middle name being their mother's maiden name, which she kept). While this plan was derailed by the hospital where our final child was born, which decided we really wanted those last two names hyphenated, we have seen ample evidence that the world at large and its myriad forms to be filled out, are not equipped to deal with people with long names. Thus we are presented with proof of the important legacy of Tikki Tikki Tembo.
The story is, of course, based on the ancient Chinese folk tale about the boy with the long name who fell down a well, and explains why have an honorable (but long) name like Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is not necessarily a good thing (even if it does mean "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world") and that if you are going to fall down a well it would be much better if your name was Chang (even if it means "nothing"). This charming retelling of the tale by Arlene Mosel is illustrated with line and wash artwork by Blair Lent, who has been awarded three Caldecott Honors.
I heartily endorse the idea that this is a story meant to be read aloud, because otherwise you never get to have fun chanting the name Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. Truly a classic international folktale, perfect for smaller children, even if they already have short names.

As a Chinese, I feel very uncomfortable reading this book to my child.
It is full of wrong culture information. The name “Tikki Tikki...” doesn’t sound like Chinese, just some catchy, fun to say, syllables, and Chinese people dont name their first child differently from other children.
It’s sad that this book is on my child’s to-read list from school but I am glad I read it so I can do something about it.

I bought this book thru a book club for my son about 45 years ago--and can still recite the name from memory without thinking about it..he used to take it to everyone in the house to read it to him every day --there were 4 of us reading it daily--good memory

In 1969, I enrolled my son in The Book of The Month Club for Children when he was three years old, because he loved it when we would read aloud to him. One of his very favorites was Tikki Tikki Tembo. Whenever his friends or two younger cousins would come over, they would all want to have Tikki Tikki Tembo read aloud to them. Very soon they could all repeat the long name along with me, giggling uncontrollably, as I read the story to them. When they were grown and had children of their own, two of my nieces could still remember the rhyming name and asked me about their favorite childhood book. I have since purchased a copy for every newborn child and I have told this story to the new mother so they could carry on the tradition.

This is a fiction story that explains why Chinese people give their children short names rather than long names. It is similar to books like Stone Soup and other fables. Children find it amusing that a mother would name their child such a long name and actually say it in entirety every time the mother addresses her child. My husband saved his copy of this book from when he was a kid himself and then passed it on to our own children. It remains adored by both generations and I highly recommend it.

This book was THE MOST influential of all the books I read as a child. Anyone that remembers me from high school will remember me chanting "Tikki Tikki Tembo, No Sa Rembo, Charri Bari Ruchi, Pip Peri Pembo" when I was stressed. The number one phrase chanted back to me was "What the hell???" And then I'd have to explain this book and give my condolences to them for never experiencing the joy of saying this phrase as if they were Chang trying to save their big brother!!! If you are wanting your children to grow up with values that express all boys and girls are created equal, GET THIS BOOK! This book sums up centuries of ridiculous traditions of making any one person more important in status than another and the severe problems that can occur from it in 38 pages (more than half of which are enchanting illustrations that cause any child's imagination to expand). I had the paperback as a six-year-old, and it was shredded into an oblivion because of my overuse. The hardcover is recommended so it lasts longer for your children!

Hey, Moms, this is a folk tale. It is a funny story, like the Gruffalo or the Wide-Mouthed Frog. Treat accordingly!

Here's what you do -- as soon as your little one is able to roughly pronounce English syllables, read this to them. It is such a scream to hear a two-year-old come out with Tikki-Tikki-Tembo-no-sa-Rembo-Chari-Bari-Ruchi-Pip-Peri-Pembo at top speed.

And you know what, long after our kids read this book, we still change their names around to fit the super long ridiculous rhythm (like Heissey-Heissey-Hembo...

It's fun to laugh as a family and build inside jokes. The whole sibling rivalry thing in the book... well, that's probably how second children feel. But when they really try to help their big sister or brother, you can remind them that they are being just like Chang.

This book brings back memories of my early childhood and is a definite read aloud! I still remember chiming in with my teacher singing Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo! The story starts off explaining how in Chinese culture, naming your first-born son with a long important name and your second son was given hardly a name at all. Chang, Tikki's brother, ends up becoming the hero after trying to let his elders know that Tikki has fallen into the well. This book shows that no matter who you are, you can always make a difference. Not only did I enjoy the book but also the illustrations in this book were excellent! The color palette of blues and greens gave it the finishing touch.

I have shared this book with so many children. I don't think any one ever expressed dislike of the story. We loved saying Tikki's full name over and over. It is great fun. It stays in my collection for my great-grandchildren. This is just such an enjoyable story for young people and old people, too.

Taking place in a pseudo-Asian country, a mother gives her eldest son a name which will make everyone realize how wonderful he is--a full 21 syllables long. Her second son she names Chang, because he isn't important. And everything is all fine and dandy until Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo falls into the well and little Chang has to go find help! Will he be able to save his brother before he drowns?

This is one of my favorite children's stories. It was fun to listen to, it was fun to read aloud with the beat, and it has a great message for kids and adults alike: even if the world thinks we are too little or worth nothing we can still do big, important things and change lives.

The words are terrific, but the story left my 3 year old asking a lot of questions. Like, is the boy hurt when he falls in the well? Not asked, but wondered by me, was the question about why the first born son gets the long dramatic name, but the second son, who is admittingly less important in this book, gets a simple one syllable name. Not exactly politically correct; however, my son did not raise this issue, I did. My son easily follows this story and can repeat the Tiki-tiki tembo song, together with all kinds of variations on the song. The underlying story is not nearly as important or as fun as the long rhythmic words. Recommended. This book is a classic. Your child will enjoy it, although you may wince at the items mentioned above.

Favorite book of mine as a child. Agree that it doesn't accurately represent China, but I'd also argue that the story is more effective if the mentions of China are cut out of the reading entirely. Thus, the tale takes place in a faraway land with a native language, and no harm is done by the fact that the names aren't Chinese and neither is the setting.

This isn't so much a book about China as it is a book about the younger sibling sometimes having the upper hand. As the youngest child of 4, I loved this book and will definitely be reading it to my children, with only the word "China" dropped

This is the best childern's book ever in my opinion. The book has great characters and a great plot. The illustrations in this book were amazing becuase were very colorful and detailed. This book is great to read to younger and older chlidern. My favorite character in the story was Tikki Tikki Tembo. His full name is longer and ryhmes. His full name is Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. My favoite part was when Tikki's younger brother Chang couldn't say his brothers name anymore because it was to long and he ran out of breath.

Tikki Tikki Tembo is a perpetual favorite read-aloud book in our elementary school library and works well all the way up to third or fourth grade. Today I got it out to read to a first grade class that incidentally had heard it yesterday from their classroom teacher. After I offered to read something else by the same author, they begged me to read Tikki Tikki Tembo to them again. Students love to chant Tikki's long name each time they hear it.
Whether or not this is an authentic Chinese folktale, it is a humorous attention-getter that still has a good moral to it. It does provide an opportunity to point out how Chinese names are usually shorter than Japanese names, something most kids in our school would not be aware of.
What amazes me is that in this age of fancy graphics students still are drawn to these simple illustrations.
A recommended read-aloud!

Tikki Tikki Tembo
Retold by Arlene Mosel

One school day I was browsing for a folktale. I looked in the book box with folktales in my classroom. There it was: Tikki Tikki Tembo. I grabbed it and started to read. It was fantastic! The pictures were so beautiful and the names were totally awesome.

In this story there were two brothers. The youngest was a small boy called Chang, which means "Little or Nothing" and his bigger brother called Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, which means "The Most Wonderful Thing In the Whole Wide World".

I liked how their mother always warned the two sons to never go close to the well. But of course as you know they would not listen and they got into a lot of trouble! This book is an old Chinese folktale but still enjoyable for both children and adults. I hope you'll read it soon.
--By Isabella (a student in msdu's class)

I remembered this being one of my favorite books to read as a child, and now my 21 month-old son always asks me to read it to him!! Reading it as adult, and as a parent, I was a little bothered by the second son, Chang's, name meaning "little or nothing" because I would never want ANY of my children to be referred to as "little or nothing". I don't know anything about Chinese culture or whether or not any of the traditions are even accurate, but when it comes down to it, it's just a book. Take it for what it is...a story, and try not to read too deeply into it, and this book is really enjoyable...especially when you get to say "Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo".

I had this book as a child and loved it. Even as an adult I remembered the rhythm of, "Tiki Tiki Tembo no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo". So I bought it for my two boys, forgetting the whole story.

The general story is that second sons were regarded as worthless and thus given short names. The first born sons were practically royal in the family and given great longs names. This becomes problematic when the boys don't mind their mother and each have a turn at falling into the well and need to be rescued by the old man with the ladder. If the story left it at that it wouldn't be much, but throughout the story the mother is less adoring of her second son and more impatient with him. Having two boys, the youngest only 2, I don't like to read it to them very often. But they love the story too. It IS well written and lends itself to great dramatization by the reader.

My husband thinks I am over sensitive, perhaps you will too, but that is what I think. Something to consider if you have two boys. I would otherwise give this book 5 stars.

You can call me StoryMaker. Tikki Tikki Tembo says that long ago in China, mothers gave their "first and honored" son a very, very long name but their other sons simple, little names. Now, if you were a mother that lived long ago China that has two sons and both fell into the well and one had to be in the well longer, which one would you hope to be in the well shorter? Well, your first son's long name may keep him in the well for a longer time! Once their was a mom who had 2 sons. One was called "Chang". Obviously, that was the second one, because the name is very short. The other one was called Tikki Tikki Tembo No-sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo or something like that. That was, of course, the first one. They both fell (not at the same time, though) in the well and both recovered, but the "first and honored" one was stuck in for a longer time! Read this book to find out why. It is a fun and funny book. The illustrations don't seem to be full-color, but they are fine. Overall, a nice, Chinese tale. You will love to say Tikki Tikki Tembo No-sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi-Pip Peri Pembo's name! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

I didn't have many positive/exciting memories of books as a child, but for some reason, I never forgot this one. I could recite his name verbatim without flinching as long as I can remember. Both of my children loved this story, may its contents be true or false. We still say his name like singing a song, it's catchy and fun. If your looking for a lesson in chinese culture, not the book for you. If your looking to engage your child in silly names and creating a fun book memory, I suggest this book.

When I was little (30 some odd years ago) this was one of my all time favorite books. My mom and I often read it together before bed. I still have our paperback copy, but it is pieces because we read it so much. I'm thrilled to find it still in print. There are many kiddos in my life that will be getting this for the holidays. I recommend this book for anyone looking for something a little different.

Truly a classic. I bought this for our 5 and 3 year old granddaughters and they both love it. What is especially delightful, is that their Mom recalls hearing this read to her, by a favorite librarian, when she was a child. This is a great book.

I recall this book fondly from my childhood and my four year old loves listening to me read it to him. He's a sucker for repeated phrases anyhow, but now as a mom to two boys (both with long names) I am reveling again in the wonderful details in the pictures- the shapes of the kites, the frog and fish in the well, the wonderful illustration of the dream the old man with the ladder is trying to recall as Chang tries to wake him up... and at least for my boys, it sets the tone of how two brothers play and look after each other. I just wish I could find my original record that went with my falling-apart old book so that my boys could experience it the way I did so many years ago.

You may not be familiar with this story of brothers in China, but once you've brought it into your home it will become one of the kids' favorites. It is absolutely meant to be read aloud. And when you do, why not encourage the children to say the boy's name with you? And have fun with it -- give yourself a chance to play along by acting like you're out of breath when the boy is desperate to get his message across, and keep saying the long name incorrectly. Make the kids laugh and you will, too. The book has lovely illustrations, too, in stylized colors.

Tikki tikki tembo is a such a great retold story its about two brothers the oldest boy is name is Tikki tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo which means "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!" because the first honored son gets a great long name and the second son gets hardly a name at all. Its a old folktale of what happens when the boy falls into a well. A excellent read-aloud. Its for all ages the childern will love it. I read it to my 3rd grade after school class and they begged me to rad it again.

I am really confused about all the positive reviews of this story... Some people called it a "classic" or an "all time favorite"... I simply cannot see how this story can measure up to so many beautifully written and illustrated stories that are available to our children throughout the world! If this is one of the most favorite stories in some schools than I can see why so many parents choose to homeschool their children! This story is completely devoid of any value for small children. It is about a mother who clearly favors one son over the other (calling one of them "a nothing" and another one a ridiculously long name which means "the best THING in the world").... her children repeatedly fall into a well and nearly drown while she is busy with her chores... she sends an "old man with a ledder" to rescue her sons, while repeatedly putting emphasis on the worthlessness of her younger child and superiority of the older child! And in the end the moral of the story is basically this: don't give children long names... Can any other story be more pointless? The language is borderline cruel and the story is ridicuous through and through! What could possibly motivate any educator or any parent to give this story a five star rating (let alone read it to children over and over again) is simply beyond me! I am deleting this one from my audible library for sure!

What a fun story this is! Children from four to eight years old appreciate the subtle humor of this story, and often want you to re-read it time and time again. The illustrations are whimsical and pleasing. This is not as well known as it should be.

The children in my kindergarten class really love this book. The characters are so lively and fun. The two brothers in the story, Tikki Tikki Tembo no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo and Chang, fall into the well and must depend on the old man with the ladder to get out. One brother stays in the water for a long time because of his great long name. As a result, the people in China name their children short names.

If you bought this book I am sure you are in the same routine as the rest of us. Lots of night time reading. This was a fun little book that has beautiful prints and is enjoyable to read over and over and over as I always find something new I hadn't seen before.

After recently finding a copy of this childhood treasure in my attic, I was reminded of how much I loved having this story read to me as a child.

This book was read to me over 30 years ago. Ironically, I was even able to recite Tikki's entire full name without having to peer inside the book. Talk about lasting impressions!

This is a great classic for parents to read to their young children and there is something very warm and appealing about about the story, and the simple illustrations that will captivate your child's heart.

It's refreshing to see that this enjoyable book is still available and being read to children.

"Tikki" is over thirty years old, and still going strong. I am a storyteller, and I love to retell the story of the little boy with the outlandishly long name (giving full credit to Arlene Mosel, of course!). Having learned Chinese, and spent some time in China, I do not try to pass it off as an authentic Chinese folktale. Mosel wrote it to have fun, and those of us who read and tell the story must do it in the same vein. Knowing that I am an old man and that my mental faculties may be fading a bit, my granddaughter, upon hearing me tell it for the first time, asked, "Grandpa, how long did it take you to learn to say that name?" I told her several days of practice (not mentioning that a class of first graders could probably do it in two tries!). Three cheers for Arlene Mosel! God willing, the electronic world will not have completely eradicated the printed word, and Tikki Tikki Tembo will be still be around at the turn of the next millenium!

Firstly this is a children's book so reading any more into it is overreaching.

Having said that, the book was written in the day and age where sensitivity to cultural mis-references was at a different level. Due to this the author's lack of understanding of Chinese culture, never mind names, would irk many Chinese readers today. I disagree with the others who point to Jugemu as a parallel to Tikki. The difference is that Jugemu does not describe second sons as being dishonored in a particular culture, and thus does not create the impression that a culture is inferior because of this bias.

My personal opinion is the book is fun for children with the long name and easy storyline, with the caveat that if this were written today the book would be considered at least ignorant or worse. However it WAS written 43 years ago, and you and your children's Chinese or non-American friends would thank you if you went the extra mile and used this book as an opportunity to explain the differences between cultures.

My son resisted picking this at our nightly story time. But once he picked it, he can't get enough. I think it is because of the name. He likes to hear that fun, twisting, singy name. He can also relate to the little brother having a problem saying that big long name when he's all out of breath. He gives a little giggle when we get to that point.

That name really makes this story!

I have thought about this book and the memorable tongue-twister thousands of times since Montessori school! I am now 26 and a teacher and I would love to share one of my favorite stories with my students. I thought this book had disappeared, but thanks to the store we are now reunited! What wonderful memories of my childhood! Im going to buy my own copy as soon as possible!

This book was one of my favorite books when I was little! I loved repeating the long name (tikki tikki tembo-no
sa...) after my mother. This is not an old Chinese folk tale but is just fiction. But I still love.

When I was in kindergarten, our teacher played the cassette for our class as she turned the pages of the book...letting us hear the story as it unfolded. It has left a lasting impression, one that I hope to pass on to my children. The story sticks an important message into the minds of young ones who may be resistant to another approach. The reviewer that found it "horrible" may not have understood that rather than making children feel worthless, what children take away from the book is that we ALL have worth. I can say that, because that was my experience. Enjoy this classic, and share it with the little ones in your life.

This book is a classic, what else really needs to be said??? I'll stick to reviewing the Audio version, which was new to me. Marcia Gay Harden gives a wonderful read here, very tender and motherly - as if you're right there on her lap. The soundtrack is absolutely wonderful and sets the tone for the story. I also really loved the addition of sound effects (the wash of the river, the splash at the bottom of the well, etc.). It's one thing to sit there listening with your kids, watching them imagine the narrative...but the look on their faces when they hear that big splash is priceless! I look forward to future book and CD releases from Macmillan and recommend this to anybody.

We love the story of Tiki tiki tembo as it is suspenseful and involved with great visuals. It enables the reader to get dramatic and use different voices which our kids (age 4 1/2 and 2 1/2) just love.

I remember when my sisters and I would read this book, we had so much fun with Tikki Tikki Tembo's name. Thats all we would talk about(mind you I was in kindergarden at the time) A great book to share with anyone who is interested in a good story and lots of laughs trying to pronouce Tikki's FULL name.

I had this book as part of the Scholastic book orders as a child almost 30 years ago... It came with a record back then to read along, but I hope my children will learn to like it as much as I did. It has a great moral and it is fun to say Tikki TIkki Tembo's name.

My wife was playing with our 2 year old daughter one day and started saying "Tikki Tikki Tembo", and puzzled said to me "Remember that book about the kid with the long name who fell in the well". I did remember it from my childhood, so I googled "tikki tikki tembo fall in well" and here we are. The story is rather odd, and not worth repeating here- even the moral at the end has virtually no value. That being said, the book is quick paced and exciting for children around 2 who like repeating words. The child's full name is "Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo" which is said often in the book. My daughter loves the book, and ultimately she is the best judge. I would definately recommend it.

I wore this book out 35 years ago, read it over and over to my sister 25 years ago, and now read it to my two sons. It is filled with the fun of repetitive sounds and rhythm, the funky color pallette of the late 60's/early 70's, and tells an solid story. Many have mentioned the importance of not revering one sibling over another, but as a child, I remembered thinking, "wow, even adults make mistakes." Though I have to admit, I was a bit pleased that smug first born got his come-uppance...!

The idea that it is or is not authentic Chinese is not an issue with me. I don't look to it for cultural authority, just fun reading that my kids love again and again... It's an experience that is passed down through OUR culture. Just being able to repeat it aloud for friends is a heck of a lot of fun.

this is an excellent book but it was not transferred to digital format well. one page is missing the last line and another page displays the lines of text out of order. my advice: but a paper copy and enjoy this classic

I am 26 years old and it has been at least 15 years since I have read this book but I can still recite Tiki Tiki Tembo No Sarendo Cherri Berri Ruchi Pip Perry Pimbo (although my spelling may be way off). I loved this story. It's a keeper.

This was my favorite book as a child. I had a older brother who I thought was "the most wonderful thing in the world" While I felt like "little or nothing." This book is perfect for younger siblings because they can certainly identify with Chang.

While I haven't read this book as an adult, I had to sit through multiple readings of this throughout my elementary school years. My classmates all loved to chant the long name along with the teacher whenever it came up in the book. As much as I can see the appeal for children to chant something so catchy, I hate that it was meant to represent something Chinese, because it obviously sounded silly. As a Chinese immigrant with a one syllable first name, I took no pleasure in having to chant a long, unauthentic name, no matter how catchy it was, with the rest of my classmates. Then, after the reading was over, my friends would turn and say to me with glee, "So that's why your name is so short!" Well, I didn't have a better explanation why my name is the way it is or an explanation for why their names had so many syllables. Although there was no malice, and I doubt any of them grew up into adults believing this story to be factual, the experiences I had with this book made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I felt some false, comical identity of my culture imposed on me.

When I immigrated to America, before I started kindergarten, my mother urged me to adopt a American name. I didn't see the reason why and I refused to. This book was among the many experiences I had growing up that pointed out to me and other children how (inaccurately) different I was from the majority of Americans and how I later understood that my mother believed assimilation would be easier if I had a name people knew how to pronounce.

In summary, while the plot may be cute for an imaginary society and the boy's name catchy to say aloud, this is a culturally insensitive book that provides no educational facts on either ancient or modern Chinese culture. I do not recommend this book for anyone.

I remember reading this story to my children and now purchased it for my grandchildren. We had a lot of fun reading the story and reciting Tikki Tikki Tembo's name. It brought back fond memories and the tradition of repeating this looooong name with much emphasis on each syllable will continue for another generation.

This was my favourite story as a child.....I am now 26 years old.....and still have very fond memories of having the book read to me by my mother. During my teacher training, this was my favourite book to share with my class and I would recommend it to anyone, young or old.

If you're comfortable with regaling your children with tales that use racist caricatures like Little Black Sambo, than you won't find anything wrong with this book. But for the modern, race-conscious, humanity-conscious parent, you can do a lot better if it's authentic Chinese characters, history, folklore you want in your kid's books. Check out any of Chinese American author Lawrence Yep's picture books:

The Magic Paintbrush
The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale
The Butterfly Boy
The Shell Woman and the King: a Chinese folktale
The Khan's Daughter: a Mongolian folktale
When the Circus Came to Town
The Ghost Fox
The Boy Who Swallowed Snakes
The Man who Tricked a Ghost
The City of Dragons

Tikki Tikki Tembo's "myth" of Chinese people having long, jargon-ridden names is completely false. A white woman lifted the plot of a Japanese folktale called Jugemu (where a dad names his child multiple names because he can't make up his mind) and somehow thought it would be appropriate to cast it as some fake Chinese name origin story and throw in a bunch of jargon instead of anything remotely resembling the sounds of Chinese words or Japanese words. Because gosh darn Chinese people are so weird with their weird language and weird customs! And they're such clownish weird foreigners--come child, let's laugh at this xenophobic portrayal of people so innately different from us!

Unless you really wanted to take a skip down racist nostalgia lane or you're doing a thesis on racist caricatures in children's lit, I wouldn't recommend adding this to your library.

I had such high hopes for this book, which was recommended to me by a few friends and is often on "Best of" lists of children's books. So I was deeply disappointed to discover that, while beautifully-illustrated and no doubt well-intentioned, this book is basically racist gobbledygook. It's a hodgepodge of random "Asian-ish" ideas, images and words (and some not even remotely Asian, like Tikki's name) that appear to have been thrown together by an unthinking person who is pretty ignorant of both Chinese and Japanese cultures. It would be like opening up Strega Nona to find all the characters dressed in traditional Irish clothing, with random German names thrown in. I live in a city that has many different Asian communities, so I want my son to learn about *actual* Chinese and Japanese culture -- and there are luckily now so many good books that do that! Sadly, this is not one of them. It's a shame, because the illustrations are lovely and the story & rhyming name are fun. I wish the author had said it was some made-up fairy tale, rather than claiming this as even remotely Chinese. It's an embarrassing book that (I hope) would never be published today.

I particularly like this thoughtful essay about the book by Irene Rideout: https://www.facebook.com/notes/irene-rideout/rethinking-tikki-tikki-tembo/10150659315478292

If this is a book you truly love and/or are thinking about teaching to children as an example of Chinese culture, then please consider reading this essay that may help you put it into context: http://wannabwestern.hubpages.com/hub/Tikki-Tikki-Tembo-by-Arlene-Mosel

This quote from Rideout's piece particularly resonates with me: "When I read online forums and discussions about the potentially offensive nature of Tikki Tikki Tembo, I am disappointed because so frequently the responses are dismissive. People say, "Oh, lighten up, it's just a fun story for kids." There is, of course, a difference between INTENT and IMPACT. I feel pretty confident in surmising that the author and illustrator of Tikki Tikki Tembo did not set out to offend anyone. In fact, the INTENT may even have been to honor the Chinese culture by sharing a charming story of their understanding of China. But the IMPACT is that an entire culture is misrepresented, and it is not unreasonable that people within the misrepresented culture might feel offended. It's understandable that some people may have happy and fond childhood memories of this book, but their positive experiences with this book does not make other people's negative experiences any less valid."

Looking for a book to use for a thematic unit on China? Or for a unit on names? Or just for a fun book to read that will enchant and delight your children? This is it!!! Tiki Tiki Tembo, the book with the tremendously long name, has never failed to captivate my students. Buy it now!!! You won't be disappointed.

This is a great book. The honored brother gets a grand name and ends up suffering for it. The ignored brother gets a meaningless name , but doesn't suffer and even is heroic. Plus you get to say a funny name over and over.That what kids will enjoy and that's what I remembered 35 years later. As far as historical accuracy or sibling rivalry or even racial stereotypes who cares. If this book causes your child to think in any of those ways you have a lot bigger problems than a politically incorrect book. You would have to throw out all classic childrens books, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and also most disney movies to avoid any unpleasant reminders of the real world. Kids see through that stuff and get right to the guts of a story, only adults worry over or glorify the bad parts. Bottom line it's a fun book .

I have been reading this book to children for over 25 years. They love the story but their favorite part is to repeat Tikki Tikki Tembo's great long name each time it comes up. I have even had young adults seek me out to say "Remember when you read Tikki Tikki Tembo to us at McKinley School library?" I'd say that is high praise for this book!

I am aghast to see so many 5 star ratings for a book that's full of inaccuracies and is condescending of other cultures. I wouldn't want to read it to my child, or if I did, provide it as an example of bad research and bad authorship - from the illustrations (that look more Japanese than Chinese) to the actual names/language (fake Chinese translation; tiki tiki is neither Chinese nor means what the author translates) to the cultural norms portrayed (Chinese abuse younger kids, the moms are neglectful and abusive, and the kids are stupid enough to say the long name again and again instead of 'my brother' or using a pronoun) etc. The whole thing is utterly non-sense and racist that shouldn't be fed to anyone, least a child. This book should be out of circulation!

Despite the fact that I am now 32 years old, I can tell you Tikki Tikki Tembo's full and complete name...I distinctly remember sitting on the floor of my school library on a rainy day in 2nd grade reading this book over and over and over again. I am not sure anyone else had the chance to read it that year, as I checked it out numerous times.
I am excited to read it to my own children now, and I hope that they will love the story as much as I did.
A definite MUST HAVE for a classic children's library!

I don't understand why people are looking at this book like it's some sort of historical text. I doubt many 5-year-olds are going to read this book and say, "Well, it was OK, but it was full of historical inaccuracies and perpetuated stereotypes harmful to the Chinese community." It's a story, nothing more. It's not meant to teach any life-changing moral. Stop searching for offensive material and enjoy the book the way a child would.
A child will enjoy this, by the way. I know I did, when I first read it perhaps 25 years ago. It may not (as I said above) provide profound revelations, but it does encourage children to do the right thing whether people treat them with respect or not.
Lighten up, enjoy the rhythm of the name, watch kids try to say it all in one breath, and years from now you'll still remember Tikki Tikki Tembo and his helpful brother.

This is probably my favorite book as a child. This book came with a 45 record. I remember listening to the record over and over, and following along in the book. I forgot about this book, until I had a chance to be a mystery reader in my son's 1st grade class. The Teacher asked to bring in one of my son's favorite books or one of mine, this instantly brought back the fond memories of " Tikki Tikki Tembo", hopefully this will become one of my son's favorites, and his classmates will also enjoy.

I loved this book as a child, my sister and I would go around saying the tongue twister name over and over! We would try and out do each other by who could say it the fastest. Now she is adopting a beautiful daughter from China and I thought this is the perfect book for my new neice. She will be able to enjoy this fun story of two brothers who not only play well together but help each other when one is in trouble, like falling into a well. It teaches children that even if they are not the first born they are just as special.

This author did a good job.I really liked the book because it was funny when Chang and Tikki Tikki Tembo fell in the well. People should read it because it is a very good book. I really liked it very much!

I remember my first grade teacher reading this to the class in 70-71. It has the the same cover as it did then and it brought back great memories. But I have a question, as an aspiring children's book author/illustrator. Do you think a book with a child dying at the end could ever get published these days, with the way parents coddle and shield kids from bad thoughts that might give the fragile little psyches nightmares?

I vaguely remembered this book from childhood, and was delighted when I saw it at our children's library, but decided not to take it out after I reread it. Though the refrain of "Rikki Tikki Tembo" is very fun, the book really does have a pretty unpleasant premise. I really did not feel the unappreciated and unloved second brother theme was something I wanted my kids to read about, especially as there is no change or any sort of redemption for this son within the tale at all. I think that even my 4 year old would pick up on this. I'm generally not a protective or necessarily PC mom, but this book is going to stay on the shelf.

I wasn't aware that this book was non-fiction as a previous reviewer seems to believe. Well it isn't. It's a funny and beautifully illustrated story that children will love and remember for many years to come.

There are elements of the book that I both like and dislike. The book's best quality is that it is entertaining. It has a lyrical tone that is catchy to people of all ages, especially young children. If you are looking for a book that is going to excite your youngster and make him/her sing and dance, Tikki Tikki Tembo is a good pick. However, if you want your children to be able to learn something from what they read, this is not the book for you. Tikki Tikki Tembo is controversial from a scholarly standpoint because of its cultural inaccuracies and stereotypes. The illustrations in the book also leave something to be desired. Basically, whether you will like this book or not depends on what you are looking to accomplish by reading it. Personally, this book will not make it to my children's shelves.

This is a very wonderful story. I had a 33 1/3 record of this story when I was about 5 yrs old. As an adult,now 31, I have wanted to get a copy of it because I loved the tongue twister name. I remember it as Nikki Nikki Tembo. I thought that maybe after all this time, and being so young at the time that I had mistaken the beginning of the name. But in reading the description here, I realize that the end of the name is slightly different as well. Nikki Nikki Tembo no so rembo ooma moochie gamma gamma goochie. That is what I remember. The story is the same. Is there a different version out there? Can anyone else confirm what I remember? Please write. [email protected] thank you, Denise

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This is the real deal!! A wonderful book about a young chinese man with a very long name. Its a great bedtime story. Short and sweet. Honest and pure...clean...perfect for children. I read it to my husband and he even enjoyed the tale of the young chinese man with the very long name.....

Although some reviewers would have you believe otherwise, this story was not made to mock Asian people.

It may have been created by a westerner, but it is obviously derived from the AUTHENTIC Japanese folktale of Jugemu.

[...]

And of course the premise of the story is absurd! What folktale doesn't have an absurd premise? Do you really believe that Remus & Romulus were raised by wolves? Or that La Llorana stalks the rivers at night looking for her children? Or that people nearly went to war over the color of Esu's hat? Remember the opening of the Tale of Despereaux. Of course its absurd to be a child. Its absurd & wonderful! Let's not sacrifice our children's innocence at the altar of political correctness.

Granted the story has nothing to do with Chinese folk lore. At times it smacks of orientalism. But to suggest a book has no value to anyone of any age smacks of something even worse-totalitarianism

Stop propelling this horrible book. It's black face for Asian literature! This is a traditional Japanese folktale retold (IN INVENTED CHINESE!?!) by a old white librarian from Cleveland. The language (if you can call it that) in the book is gibberish, showing children that asian languages are unimportant, and silly to listen to. We are in 2014/15 people! This garbage belongs in a "what we learned from the racist past" exhibition in your local museum, NOT in the classroom. Any self respecting teacher should know better, and should be properly vetting their books.

I remember my teacher reading it in 1st grade- That was 30+ years ago. I loved it then and my kids love it now.The pictures are wonderful. The illustrations of the bridges and the of the river and water.The characters are really neat "old Man with the ladder" and the Mother, as well as the boys being boys. Incidently being the second child I'm refered to as "Chang".

I bought this book for my daughter when she was 2 years old and she loved it! I had read it as a child and thought she might enjoy it. The names are tricky, but the kids find it entertaining watching these boys get into such trouble.

This cute story is NOT a retelling of a Chinese folktale and should never be used as such. Mosel herself acknowledges that it is a story her father invented. There is no Chinese equivalent! In fact, Chinese names can be traced back for thousands of years in their current "short" form. My name, Chin, for instance is at least 2000 years old, dating from the Emperor Chin (or Qin), famed for, among other things, uniting the Chinese kingdoms and building the Great Wall. There are many authentic retellings of traditional Chinese folktales. This book, however, is not one of them. Please be aware that it is not an appropriate choice to use as Asian literature.

Tikki Tikki Tembo was bought for my daughter (now 33) when she was 4 years old. I spent hours reading the story to her and we recited the name so many times that she still remembers the story.

The good news is she informed me that she is expecting her first child this summer and Tikki Tikki Tembo is the first book I have bought for the new baby.

I think any child would love to hear the rhythm of saying Tikki Tikki Tembo's entire name. I would say that this aspect of the book makes it the most memorable. Aside from that, I would say, as a college student, I find many inaccuracies regarding the Chinese culture in this book. Firstly, the attire is more akin to the Japanese culture, and the name Tikki Tikki Tembo is rather misleading. I also feel that the indifference that the mother feels toward Chang may lead a child to believe that a second or third born is considered "little or nothing". I would recommend this book in terms of entertainment, but not for educational value.

I loved this story as a kid and I love reading it to my five year old daughter, adopted from China. It is great for reading aloud and it keeps kids' attention. Although the mother shows favoritism in this story, there are always issues of unfairness in life and stories help us to talk about these things. Unfortunately, favoritism of children in China was a very real issue and may still be the case. The story makes me imagine a very realistic village in ancient China.

My father used to read this book to me as a child and I remember loving the book. Re-reading the book now, I love the book just as much. I love chanting the name "Tiki Tiki Tembo......" while reading the book. It also has beautiful and unique illustrations.

I bought this book for my sister to bring back memories of our childhood. We both loved this book as children and always seemed to be the only people who knew who Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo was. The book is beautifully illustated also. Just as I remembered it.

This is a favorite of mine and my children. The story is clever and the full name of Tikki Tikki tembo is just fun to read, or hear. My children enjoyed it so much, that now that they are adults, they've purchased this book for their own children. It has a 'moral' like an Aesop's fable, but is much more fun to read. Illustrations are cute and colorful.

"Tikki Tikki Tembo" is, for many, a charming story about two daring Chinese brothers that disobey their mother and fall down a well. The first born son, Tikki Tikki Tembo, is clearly more valued and important than the second son, Chang. The story has a folk-tale feel to it, and the rhythm of Tikki Tikki Tembo's full name, along with the rest of the story, is quite catching. The story is mildly interesting and the illustrations are not very captivating. Before reading this story to young children, it is important that you consider both your audience and the racial implications of the story. "Tikki Tikki Tembo" aims to portray traditional Chinese life. However, there are certain elements in the story that are not, in fact, accurate to the Chinese culture at all. Because of this, stereotypes may begin to assert themselves in the minds of young children reading this story. For one, the clothes that the characters in the story are wearing are not authentically Chinese, but instead are Japanese. In addition, the name 'Tikki Tikki Tembo' is not Chinese, and the name of his little brother, Chang, does not mean "little or nothing" like the story indicates. Because of these cultural inaccuracies, one should practice care if or when reading this story to children. If you are looking for a book that presents positive images of the Chinese culture, "Tikki Tikki Tembo" is not a good choice. This book does not function to support the sensitive issue of multiculturalism in America, rather, it has potential to be harmful to the situation at large.

I know of this book, because as a child, my parents used to read it to me almost every night before bed. Besides being a well written fun story, it can help a child develop to better annunciate more complex word structures. If you are looking for some new material for your child's bedtime reading, you can't go wrong with this one.

Tikki Tikki Tembo has a beautiful and fun name to say. However, that is where my praise of the book ends. The illustrations are lacking, not to mention inaccurate. A seemingly uncaring mother obviously favoring one son over the other is the main thing that stands out in my mind after having read this book. Perhaps my biggest problem with this text is the sweeping generalization it ends with, "from that day to this, the Chinese have always thought it wise to give their children little, short names, instead of great long names." I believe it is important to eduate and expose children to cultures outside of their own. However, we must do so in a way that promotes their curiousity and an accurate understanding. Multicultural literature can be a wonderful tool in the classroom as well as the home, when used properly; Tikki Tikki Tembo will be left out of my toolbox.

I would like to express the impact that this book made on me as a child. I am 24 years old and this book has stuck in my mind throughout my life! I would always borrow it from our school library and bring it home to have my mother read it to me over and over and over again! Very enjoyable, read it to your kids!!

For years I searched for this book, a favourite of mine during my childhood and I was overjoyed to have found here at the store.com. It's been over 15 years since I last read it and yet I remember the story so vividly, epecially that famous name which I'm sure you all know by now. This is truly a classic in my eyes and one to share with all the family, young and old alike. Once you've read it, it'll be a hard one to ever forget.

I just ordered this book for my twin cousins who were just born. I will remember this book always as well as the Three Billy Goats Gruff as my two childhood favorites. This has to go down in the top ten classic children's books of all time.

This book is very offensive to Chinese people. First of all, it's not a real Chinese folktale, so I don't understand why it's listed under the "Children's Asian Literature" section. Secondly all of the "Chinese" used in the book is not actually Chinese, but just made-up gibberish. There are also other cultural inconsistencies throughout the book including the fact that the mother appears to be wearing a Japanese kimono and the title character seem to be wearing Japanese wooden sandals.

Historically, I understand why this book was written and became so popular, but I would hope that we have progressed as a nation to see this book as perpetuating of offensive Asian stereotypes and disrespectful to Asian cultures and the Chinese language.

If anything, the store should remove this book from the 'Children's Asian Literature' section as it is *not* actually a Chinese folktale and does not accurately reflect any Asian culture.

This book sends an awful message about the value of children in the birth order -- the mother goes on and on about her most honored first born, and treats her second born horribly. I read this to my daughter once, and then threw it out. Don't buy it.

I remembered liking this as a child, so out of a sense of nostalgia I hastily purchased it for my toddler. First of all, reading this book is tedious and exasperating, because as everyone knows, most children want you to read any book more than once (try 50 or a hundred times). But my biggest complaint is that the mother highly favors one child over the other, so much that his own name has a negative meaning, and it is pretty appalling to find out how differently she responds when each child falls into the well. Maybe some people think this is taking it too seriously but I do not want my children picking up on that. And as far as the stereotypes present...well, other reviewers have already pointed that out. I gave my copy away but maybe I should have thrown it in the trash.

The other one-star reviews have already said it, but it bears repeating. The book is fatally flawed by the willful ignorance and fictional stereotyping the author engages in. The book purports to be based on an actual Chinese tale, but no one can find any such tale. It's very close, however, to a famous "rakugo" story called "Jugemu" in Japan, in whose culture long names (for nobility, not mountain villagers) are much more common. The notion that 1st children would get long names in Chinese (or Japanese), and 2nd children short, insulting ones, is completely made up and totally repulsive.

Sadly, this kind of highly distorted view of asian culture was common in the US through most of the 20th century. The original Japanese story is quite well known (often used as a test of young rakugo performers), and it's the quality of the original story's plot and the rhythm of the words that carried Mosel's "retelling" to undeserved popularity. Even if Mosel were just repeating the story as she heard it, neither she nor her illustrator bothered to do their homework about the culture(s) whose story they were appropriating for their own use.

Having lived in Japan for two years and studied both Japanese and Chinese language, I'm eager to expose my children to those (and other) cultures. A book like this, with actively ignorant and borderline racist distortions, is worse than nothing at all. Wikipedia articles on Tikki Tikki Tembo and Jugemu have more information for those who wish to follow up.

I cannot believe this book got such high ratings. If I could rate it a "0" I would.
I checked this book out from the library and thankfully looked it over before reading it to my two boys. Why would a childrens story book be about the first born being honored and revered and the second one treated horribly? I just didn't find it appropriate for our family at all. My kids would definitely pick up on this.
Sure the older boys name is cute and fun to say, and I can get over the Asian inaccuracies as others mentioned, but a Mothers favoritism in a child's story isn't appropriate at all.

The original name of this book is not Tikki Tikki Tembo, it's Rikki Tikki Tembo. I dunno why I got so irked that the name was mispelled but this was one of my most beloved stories to read as a child.

Yes, tikki tikki tembo, is a catchy phrase, but so are alot of things that are/were not really worthwhile teaching our children. Its 2010, let's teach our kids about other cultures and their stories in an illuminating (and moderately accurate) way. Even if the author had gotten all the Chinese meanings right (they are not even close), you can tell that she is not of Chinese background. Try authors like Karen Chinn, Ernie Chan and HongYing Yang, if you'd like to open your kids eyes to another culture.

i vaguely recalled this book from my childhood, and was appalled at the storyline when i re-read this book to my children. being chinese, it was EXTREMELY offensive to see that this author attributes a nonsensical naming convention to my culture. not only are the illustrations way off (it's pseudo-oriental while being neither in the chinese nor japanese style of drawing), but how the younger brother is named chang because it means 'nothing' is ridiculous. this book is as offensive to me the 1930s movie of pearl s buck's "the good earth" was - played by caucasian actors with taped eyes and yellow makeup, it was (and still is) a blatantly ignorant attempt to make lot of money off of asian stereotypes. this book will never be seen in my house again.

I took this book out of the library because I had read it is a children's classic. Thank goodness I read it first before I read it to my 3 year old son. The story is just awful focusing on the importance of the firstborn son and discrediting the younger boy. I was appalled that such a revered book included both children having near drowning episodes and CPR! I would not recommend this to anyone as I think the moral of the story is so negative and debilitating to children.

One thing that really bothers me is that the long name Tikki Tikki Tembo-no ...... doesn't mean "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world" and also 'Chang' doesn't mean "little or nothing". In fact, the long name 'tikki tikki tembo-no .... ' is sound more Japanese than Chinese. As someone who understand Chinese & Japanese language, I feel it is very annoying to tell a wrong thing to the children. I actually confused them by teaching the wrong meanings of "Chang". While it's probably fun in English to chant the names but it is still saying things with wrong meaning. Children has wonderful brain that enable them to remember things when they were young and still remember it even after when they became grandparent. So, it is a pity if they have to remember incorrect things in their life. I very much prefer that the author would do a bit more research in putting the Chinese names and pick something that sounds more like Chinese language with the correct meaning. As for the story, it's a very simple outline to tell us why Chinese people giving their children a short names rather than great long names. Is this valid reason??? I don't think so because there is no base to prove it. I gave 1 star for the fact that It has colorful pictures but has culturally incorrect attire. I think the store should just catagorised it as English book instead of focusing on Asian or Chinese story because it does not reflect Chinese culture correctly. It's my fault to only read the good reviews from the store but didn't read the books myself before I bought it. I think it's not worth buying for your children. I regret buying it now. :( I'm going to return it to the shop ASAP.

If it were possible to give zero stars, I would have.

If you want a book that legitimates and perpetuates the notion that Asian names (and Asians themselves) are exotic, incomprehensible, and nonsensical, get this book.

If you want a real folktale from China for your kid, this is not it. Look elsewhere.

Do you think Chinese people need to explain to their own kids why we have one-syllable names? No. Do you think there are Chinese folktales about English people or German people with silly long names? No. This is not a true Chinese folktale.

This book was written for non-Chinese "westerners" by someone who is very unknowledgeable about Chinese language, history and culture.

A telling example: Chang can be written at least 20 different ways in Chinese, and none of those words mean "little or nothing," contrary to what the author claims. Those quotations inserted by the author are irritating. The author claims s/he is "retelling" a Chinese folktale, but I read many Chinese folktales as a kid, and I have never encountered this one. A Google search on this book uncovers Internet discussion groups on children's folktales confirming that there are no Chinese folktales like this. Isn't it too easy for a writer to tell a racist, ahistorical, irresponsible story then disclaim responsibility, and claim that s/he was just "repeating" what she heard from someone else?

Historically, there has never been a time in China when first borns were given superlong names.

The name "Tikki tikki..." isn't even Chinese. It's totally made up by the author. It just "sounds" exotic and incomprehensible a la Polynesia, Japan, Indonesia, India... you get it. It does not mean "the most wonderful thing" in any language. (It does sound like "Riki Riki Tavi.")

The factual premise of the story is also absurd: the boy had a name so long that people couldn't readily recognize it when the brother said it. Why didn't the boy have a nickname. In Chinese families, there are specific nicknames for eldest son, second son, baby brother, etc., and kids are usually called by these titles rather than by given name. Not to be pedantic, but this is yet another incredulous aspect of this "folktale." Come on, the boy is drowning in a well, and the little brother cannot make the grownups understand that!

I also found through Google some folklore academics who thought that the author may have "retold" a folktale, but one that was crafted by European missionaries and colonists who sought a humorous albeit false, unsupported explanation for why their Chinese subjects had such funny monosyllabic names. True, anyone who has not bothered to study Chinese language and history would have a hard time understanding why everyone seems to have the same short name.

Aside from all the above, as some other reviewers have noted, the artwork is not so authentic either, mixing pseudo-Japanese costume with generic multi-culti ethnic hippie garb. The artist also failed to do basic research, or believed that Chinese, Japanese, whatever, they're all the same.

The last line in the book says it all: "the Chinese have always thought it wise to give all their children little, short names instead of great long names." As anyone who has studied the Chinese language knows, Chinese names are not "little and short" but even a name like Li can be written thirty different ways in Chinese. Only to an ignorant person do the names appear "little and short."

Maybe I just have little tolerance for people who make fun of "ethnic" names without recognizing that all names have a history and even American names like Jones or Lee are, objectively speaking, ethnic, and strange and exotic to someone who doesn't live in the U.S. or England.

I received this book as a gift. I am throwing it away. I don't want my quarter-Chinese daughter to get a distorted, stupid, false perspective on a great civilization. She is two years old, and cannot yet distinguish between fact and fiction.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone of any age. The last thing this world needs is another disingenuous book that dumbs down and places Chinese culture in false light under guise of "authenticity." We already have Hollywood and popular media doing that.

I do not want to question the intention of the author, but this book clearly sends a very bad message to children, teach them terrible values, and might create serious emotional problems in them.

The book talks about parents who value their first born by giving him a more superior name than their later children, which will be given bad names. It's clear that the parents in this story loved takki takki alot more than his other brother, which is considered nothing to those parents. Teaching these values to children will sure give them the wrong idea about themselves and their parents. It is either the older child will be arrogant or a younger child who will lose confidence in self or in his/her parents love.