by Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent
I don't remember if this was a book my parents ever read me, or if I was already old enough to read it to myself when I discovered it. At any rate, this would be a fun book to read to children.
Tikki Tikki Tembo is a fable-like story (no idea if there's any basis in reality) that tries to explain why Chinese names are very short compared to Western names. As the story goes, two young brothers, the elder of whom is named Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Buchi Pi Peri Pembo (I just typed that from memory, aren't you impressed?), are out for a walk. The elder brother falls into a well, and the younger boy, whose name is probably Ping (all Western books about Chinese boys seem to have a Ping in them), goes running for help. He meets a variety of people, and to each one he has to say "Help! My brother, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Chari Bari Buchi Pi Peri Pembo, has fallen into a well!" By the time the poor boy has reached his mother, he's so out of breath that he can't speak.
There are definitely imperialist overtones to this book, so that's worth taking into consideration when reading it to your children. But all in all it's just a fun story, and it's so memorable that 20 years later I still remember Tikki Tikki Tembo's name.
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