Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

As an eight year old child, I was a reluctant reader.

It could be that I felt that so many stories and tales just didn’t keep pace with my own imagination, which my mom encouraged me to build upon daily with drawings, stories, and embroidery. 🪡

But I was endlessly entertained by “Tikki Tikki Tembo,” the folktale where the eldest son’s full name is Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo and his younger brother’s name is Chang.

The story uses the eldest’s long name to illustrate a Chinese custom where firstborn sons are given lengthy, reverent names, while younger sons receive shorter, less important ones.

It humorously suggests that the long name caused a delay in getting help when the boy fell into a well, leading to the Chinese adopting shorter names for their eldest children, too.

As the eldest child of seven (and one insisting on “two names, no ‘e’ “…!), I loved this book!

And though it annoyed some, I loved repeating the long name and read this book numerous times to my youngest siblings, feeling that by doing so, I was providing the greatest entertainment and joy to them.

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