"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!

I remember this book being read to me and my class in elementary school (1983-85). It was great fun. I don't believe that it sends any negative messages, like a few reviewers here. The story starts off with the first born son Tikki being all important, while Chang the second son is cast to a side. However, in the end Chang is the hero and both children are important and loved. It is a happy ending. Nowadays, people get too sensitve and caught up with being "PC". This is a children's book meant to entertain and cause a few smiles. It does that and even teaches that everyone is important and makes a difference. Almost 20 years after having this story read to me, it brings a smile to my face and fills me with warm memories of my childhood. This book will be fun for both the child and reader. In the end when the child grows up he/she will remember the basic story but most of all the fun shared while reading the book. I highly recommend Tikki Tikki Tembo.

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.

I first read this book while I was in Junior High ( many years ago) and it's still on my bookshelf. I drag it out and reread it every so often because it's a fascinating, well written, really captivating story with a lot of historical detail and well developed charactors. It's one of those books you can read in one or two sittings because you are so drawn in and involved.
The only thing I did not like was the author's negitive portrayal of British Withchcraft, I've met British Witches and know they are not the evil cat sacrificing folks depicted in the story. But I will forgive the author for this blunder, since there is so much ignorance out there and he was working with the limited information available at the time the book was written.
Overall, it was a great read and a great story.When I was a kid, I was just cativated by the description of an ancient old house way out in the country that you had to reach by land rover, still available in our modern world. It was like a trip into another world.

i love this book so much. i used to read it every week and i never got bored with it. its rilly well written and it end with a cliffhnger that will leave you asking "what next?" its a book based on some facts but mostly from his imagination. and will takes advantage of the situation and he seems to make most of the things from his mind and uses those to get in trouble. i love this book!!!!!

I'm 33 and I STILL remember this book 20 years later. I enjoyed reading the other reviews to reaquaint myself with the plot (of which I had absolutely No memory, but hey, it was 20 years ago). What I did remember was the atmosphere. This story is so well done it stays with you. A phenomenal read!

The funny little woman and her strange counterparts might throw adults into somekind of frenzy but kids will recognize the funniness of the situation.This book isn't scary but hyper and totally amusing.Recommended to people who who like weird and wonderful tales.

This children's book, retold by Arlene Mosel based on a story by Lafcadio Hearn, is about a Japanese woman who falls into a cavern and is forced to bake rice cakes for some underground demons. Her ability to laugh enables her to find a way to escape. The book was illustrated by Blair Lent and it won the 1973 Caldecott Medal for best illustrations in a book for children.

I was in the first grade when this book was released. I must have read it hundreds of times. I'm pleased to discover it's still in print. It has an indescribable quality that has stuck in my memory for thirty years: the warm but mysterious Asian elements, the damp green rooty feel of the pictures, the light and quirky text. I plan on reading it to my four year old--hundreds of times.

I first read this story during Christmas week of my 5th Christmas. My mother found it in its entirety in a Christmas magazine and I read it.

An unnamed girl is sent out into the cold by her abusive father to sell matches. He beats her whenever she fails to bring in a satisfactory income for her work.

One night, after a day of no sales, the child, frozen to the bone, lights a match. A glorious vision of a Christmas tree appears. The vision fades away when the match burns out. The second match the girl lights shows a Christmas feast. This feast of illusions dies too, with the match.

The third time she lights a match, her beloved, deceased grandmother appears. The girl runs to her, never to return to the cold again. The next morning she is found frozen to death in the snow.

This story gets to me 100% of the time. To this day it makes me get misty eyed. It is truly the saddest Christmas story I have ever come across.

This story is about a little girl who tries to sell matches to people in the streets in order to make money for her family. One day her father was furious for the lack of funds his daughter was bringing home. He ordered her to stay out on the streets and not return home unless she had sold her matches. After walking around in the freezing cold and snow she was scared to go home and be beaten when she had not sold the required amount of matches to return home. She tucked herself into a corner and rested. After feeling the bitter cold and snow the little girl decided to light matches in an effort to stay warm. With each match she lit a magical vision appeared. With each match the little girl saw warm loving Christmas scenes. Some of the scenes were a feast, a fireplace and finally a warm memory of her grandmother. With this memory and loving scene the little match girl was brave and comforted. Soon the warm comfort of her grandmother allowed her to be comfortable and whisked her away to heaven.
The author wanted everyone to believe in happy memories and warm thoughts no matter what emotional state you are in, or whatever social class or size. This is a wonderful story with beautiful pictures that just help the authors' words in describing the warm feelings. You actually can feel the warmth of the little girls visions through the matches.
I love this story. It gets me choked up when I read it. But the little girl was so peaceful when she left to be in heaven with her loving grandmother. Everyone's wish is to be loved no matter where you are in life, simply to be loved and filled with warmth.

This is a story that has made me misty eyed since I was 5. I first read this story my 5th Christmas. It appeared in a Christmas magazine and to this very day it always makes me more than just a little misty eyed.

An unnamed girl is sent into the cold, cruel city to sell matches by her equally cold, cruel father. She turns her income over to him and he beats her when he feels she has not sold enough matches.

One night the girl, frozen to the bone, lights a match. A glorious Christmas tree appears, bright and blazing. That vision vanishes along with the match when it burns out.

The second match she lights shows a splendid holiday feast -- a Feast of Illusions. This, too, fades away when the match burns out.

The final match she lights reveals her beloved, deceased grandmother. The girl runs to her, never to return to the cold city streets.

The next morning, she is found, frozen to death in the street. This story gets to me every single time. I would never be able to read it aloud because it is just too sad.

Haviland did an excellent job, as she did in all of her fairytale books, to capture the culture and history of the country in her stories. She created a good interpretation of ancient fairytales from India. This book would be very useful in the classroom when learning about India and surrounding countries. It comes highly recommended.