He received the Caldecott Medal in 1973 for The Funny Little Woman, by Arlene Mosel, and has also been awarded three Caldecott Honors.
This tale follows the pattern of the traditional chain story 'The Death of the Little Hen,' in which a chicken chokes on a nut, then dies while its partner is seeking help from. Preview and download books by Arlene Mosel, including Tikki Tikki Tembo, Tikki Tikki Tembo (Spanish language edition) and many more. Blair Lent began illustrating picture books in the 1960s. A more recent retelling of this Chinese folktale is Tikki Tikki Tembo, retold by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent (New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1968). Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mosel died in Indianapolis in 1996. Mosel was an associate professor of library science at Case Western Reserve University. Mosel was also the author of The Funny Little Woman, which won the 1973 Caldecott Medal for Blair Lents illustrations and was recognized as an Honor Book by the Hans Christian Andersen International Childrens Book Awards. After a family's eldest son falls into a well and most of the time getting help is spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decide to give all their children short names. Tikki Tikki Tembo is an old Chinese folktale retold by Arlene Mosel along with illustrations by Blair Lent and it is about how a young boy named Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo (what a name) gets into big trouble because of his long name. In 1997, The New York Times named it one of the best 50 childrens books of the previous 50 years. The book was named an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Because so many young listeners responded enthusiastically, she decided to write her own retelling, and Tikki Tikki Tembo became her first book for children. When she grew up, she shared this wonderful tale with countless children, including her own. Arlene Mosel (1921-1996) first heard the story of Tikki tikki tembo as a child.