Arlene Mosel Knihy

This humorous retelling of a favorite folktale recounts how the Chinese came to give their children short names. Beautifully illustrated, this perfect read-aloud storybook is one adults and children will enjoy sharing together again and again.When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names. Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is the name of a mother’s first, and most honored, son. It means, "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world!"

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo- chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo! Three decades and more than one million copies later children still love hearing about the boy with the long name who fell down the well. Arlene Mosel and Blair Lent's classic re-creation of an ancient Chinese folktale has hooked legions of children, teachers, and parents, who return, generation after generation, to learn about the danger of having such an honorable name as Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.

While chasing a dumpling, a little lady is captured by wicked creatures and she escapes with magic that helps her become the richest woman in Japan.