DVD Reviews: Tikki, Tikki, Tembo

Tikki Tikki Tembo…and more stories to celebrate Asian Heritage relaunch DVD

I remembered the story of Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent and the tale of why it is now a Chinese tradition to give a child a short name very well. You see, it used to be an honor and a tradition to give the first born son a very long name. Unfortunately, that came back to cause a lot of trouble for the first son Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako. You see, one day his brother Chang fell into the well, and Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako ran to his mother yelling “Chang has fallen into the well.”

His mother told Tikki to get the old man with the ladder. the old man ran as fast as he could (which was very slow), hgot little chang and pumped the water out. Soon Chang was as good as ever. But, soon the two brothers played near the well again (against their mother’s orders) and then….

Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako fell in.

Well, Chang ran as fast as he could and told his mother, but she couldn’t hear him so he had to repeat Tikki’s name. But mother couldn’t accept the way that Chang said Tikki’s name and he had to take a DEEP BREATH and say that Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako had fallen into the well and to get the old man with the ladder. The SAME THING happened and….well, I’ll just let you watch the DVD to figure out what happens to Tikki.

Just know, that from that point on, Chinese families give their children short names.

Also included on this DVD are

· The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (Written by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon, narrated by B. D. Wong) A compassionate couple risks their lives to reunite a pair of Mandarin ducks. · Grandfather’s Journey (Written and illustrated by Allen Say, narrated by B. D. Wong) A touching story about Grandfather’s travels from Japan to the United States and back again. · The Stonecutter (Written and illustrated by Gerald McDermott) Tasaku is a lowly stonecutter who longs for more power in this Japanese folk tale. · Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (Written and illustrated by Ed Young, narrated by B. D. Wong) This Asian version of the classic fairytale brings lessons about strangers, trust, and courage. · Sam and the Lucky Money (Written by Karen Chinn, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, narrated by Ming-Na Wen) On Chinese New Year Sam meets a stranger who helps him make the perfect decision on how to spend his lucky money.

I’m so excited to see these Scholastic Classics being presented to the next generation via DVD. I grew up on these stories, as did my son and I’m excited that these tales are not lost.

Bonus Features:
Read Along Captioning…a great way for young readers to practice reading, just like with the book.

Tikki Tikki Tembo…and more stories to celebrate Asian Heritage relaunch DVD is available online and in toy, book and DVD stores.

Ratings are based on a 5-star scale

Overall: 5

Review by Broad “Z” – Zippy

We received a copy of this title for our DVD review. All opinions are our own.

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