Board Book Breakdown
Board Book Breakdown is the hilarious, slightly NSFW podcast where two overstimulated parents dissect the children’s books our toddlers demand and ask the question that matters: why is this a thing? We read over a thousand kids’ books a year. Some are sweet, some are cardboard fever dreams from the nightmare collection… and of course, those are the kids’ favorites.
Every week, we go down a quick author rabbit hole, share our what the— moments, ask what would a toddler say? If bedtime stories are breaking your brain, come laugh with us. New episodes every week—subscribe and follow.
Board Book Breakdown
Ep. 7: The Most Preventable Well Incident in Literature (Tikki Tikki Tembo)
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This week, KC and Eric review the 1968 picture book Tikki Tikki Tembo (retold by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent), a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner they call their most controversial pick yet. With help from Little Eric’s recap, they outline the plot: two brothers in a village, one with a long honored name and one called Chang; both fall into a well, and the long name delays rescue and recovery, leading to a “lesson” against long names. They discuss repetition, name-as-identity, social hierarchy, and criticize cultural appropriation and inaccuracies, noting the story likely isn’t even a Chinese folktale.
Timestamps:
00:37 Welcome to the Board Book Breakdown
01:12 What the Kids Say
02:56 Coffee
04:33 Plot Breakdown
08:21 Why the Controversy
11:43 Author and Influences
16:19 WTF Moments
22:13 Alternate Endings
About the Show:
Board Book Breakdown is the hilarious, slightly NSFW podcast where two overstimulated parents dissect the children’s books our toddlers demand and ask the question that matters: why is this a thing? We read over a thousand kids’ books a year. Some are sweet, some are cardboard fever dreams from the nightmare collection… and of course, those are the kids’ favorites.
Every week, we go down a quick author rabbit hole, share our what the— moments, ask what would a toddler say? If bedtime stories are breaking your brain, come laugh with us. New episodes every week—subscribe and follow.
Feedback:
What book should we review next? What coffee should we try? Please follow or subscribe and connect at: BoardBookBreakdown@gmail.com and @Boardbookbreakdown on Instagram.