Tikki Tikki Tembo

Author Bio: Arlene Mosel

Arlene Mosel (1921–1996) first heard the story of Tikki Tikki Tembo as a child. When she grew up, she shared this wonderful tale with countless children, including her own. Because so many young listeners responded enthusiastically, she decided to write her own retelling, and Tikki Tikki Tembo became her first book for children. The book was named an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. In 1997, the New York Times named it one of the best fifty children’s books of the previous fifty years. Mosel was also the author of The Funny Little Woman, which won the 1973 Caldecott Medal for Blair Lent’s illustrations and was recognized as an Honor Book by the Hans Christian Andersen International Children’s Book Awards. Mosel was an associate professor of library science at Case Western Reserve University.