Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr!: A Folktale from the Hmong People of Laos

by Blia Xiong, Cathy Spagnoli, Nancy Hom (Illustrator)

When the great god Shao promises Tiger nine cubs each year, Bird comes up with a clever trick to prevent the land from being overrun by tigers.

Genres: Picture Books, Folklore, Folk Tales, Childrens, Animals, Cultural, Asian Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unhappy because she had no offspring, Tiger set out one day to ask Shao - the god who lived in the sky - how many cubs she would bear. Delighted with his answer, that she would have nine cubs per year, provided she remembered his reply, she set off for home, chanting "Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr! Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr! Overheard by the quick-witted Eu bird, who immediately set out to investigate this song, and - after visiting Shao and learning its meaning - to prevent it from coming to pass, the forgetful Tiger was tricked into thinking that her song should be "One-In-Nine."

This sprightly folktale from the Hmong people of Laos was originally told by Blia Xiong, a storyteller associated with the Hmong community of Seattle, Washington, and adapted by Cathy Spagnoli. Nancy Hom's colorful illustrations - done in silkscreen, watercolor and colored pencil - use traditional Hmong embroidery, particularly the more recent "story-cloth" methods, as an inspiration. With an appealing narrative and bold, eye-catching art, Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr! is a folktale retelling that younger readers are sure to enjoy!

[Leslee Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations reflect the way Hmong people story tell through embroidered cloths, which ties directly into the plot. The plot itself is interesting because you don't know where it's going and who the protagonist and antagonist is. After finishing the story, one understands that the point was to explain the balance of nature.

[Jenny Conger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Nine-In-One, Grr! Grr!
Author: Blia Xiong
Illustrator: Nancy Hom
Reading Level: 3.1
Book Level: Grades 1-5
Book Summary: Tiger travels a long way to discover she will have nine cubs each year. On her return, she sings "nine-in-one" to remember it. Bird hears her and tricks her into thinking it is really "one in nine"- one cub every nine years.
Bookshelf Genre: Traditional

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Trait: Sentence Fluency
This trickster tales explains why there are more birds than tigers. The tiger in the tale needs to remember nine in one, so she uses a singing mnemonic device to keep it fresh in her memory. Using a catchy jingle in the story grabs the reader, as we can also "hear" the song in our heads. This results in the story having a rhythmic flow, and readers can recall the imagined tune long after the story is over. In a writer's workshop, students could write their own jingles for their persuasive topics. In examining advertisements, many of them have music and repetition to influence the audience. Incorporating a jingle into their writing gives students more likelihood that the reader will like and remember their words.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Folktale. the story is about a tiger. she was told if she remembers the words " nine-in-one she will have nine baby tigers every year. The story starts with the story of the first tiger and her mate having no babies. She visits the great god who lives in the sky. Shao told the tiger nine each year. The families worried that the tiger has nine babies a year. The tigers will eat them. They go to the god, Shao. The birds make the tiger forget the words to the song and change it to one and nine Grr Grr! The Hmong people say this is why we don't have as many tigers on earth today.

The illustrations are in an old block, one-dimensional pictures. tapestry pictures. bright colors to show happiness and peace at times.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this folktale from Laos, tiger is lonely and wants to have cubs. She travels to the god Shao. He tells her she will have nine cubs each year...but only if she remembers his words. She sings a special song (nine-in-one, grr! grr!) all the way back to her home; but passes the Eu bird. The bird discovers why the tiger is singing this song, and knows that if the tiger has nine cubs every year it will have devastating consequences. She manages to trick the tiger into singing a different song: one-in-nine, grr! grr!

[Dain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful Hmong folktale explaining why there are so few tigers in the world. Lovely, sing-songy, repetitive stanzas, probably easy to memorize for a storytelling. I love that it's told in English alongside the Hmong translation! Very cool! The Hmong Illustrations are also beautiful and led more ethnic authenticity to this lovely tale.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a nice Hmong community where I live so it is interesting to read one of their folk tales. I think the moral of the story is to not let yourself be distracted by those who would spoil your dreams. Although in this case, the tiger was happy either way.

[Isabella Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to get students thinking about whether getting all we want can be good and bad. Sometimes the good things we get can lead to negative consequences for others.

[Amie Floersheim]

• Summarize the book
This is a Hmong folktale from the people of Laos about a tiger who wanted to know how many cubs she would have. She walked through the forest to visit the Shao who could tell her how many cubs she would have. The shao told her that she would have nine cubs a year as long as she remembered his words. The tiger was very happy and made up a song to sing (nine-in-one, grrr, grrr) so she wouldn’t forget. A bird heard her singing it and asked the shao why the tiger was singing it and when the bird heard that the tiger would have nine cubs each year she was scared that the tiger cubs would eat all the rest of the animals. The bird came up with the plan to scare the tiger so she would forget the song. The bird then taught her a new song (one-in-nine, grr, grrr) and the tiger only had one cub every nine years. This is why there are not that many tigers on the earth.
• Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre (What makes it traditional literature? What makes it historical fiction?)
This is a story form the Hmong people that explains why there are not many tigers on the earth. The idea that a tiger would forget her song and in turn only have one baby every nine years is a way for Hmong people to pass down the story to their children.
• Identify specific literary or educational concepts that could be integrated into the classroom. (eg. This book is a good text to use when teaching how to make inferences, or This books deals with bullying and would be useful when beginning a discussion about bullying in the classroom.)
This could be an interesting book if you were to talk about Hmong culture or if you were having a discussion about different ways different cultures can pass on their traditions. It is a perfect example of a folktale that explains why something is the way it is today. It would also be a fun book if there was a unit on tigers.
• Provide any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated.
This book is written at a 2.5 grade level but it could be used as a read aloud for students of any age because the of the interesting cultural significance.

[Aryehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed re-reading this book. It’s a folk tale of the Hmong people of Laos. I read this story as a child and while I understood why the bird tricked the tiger---she did not want a large population of tigers eating the rest of the animals into extinction--- I felt sorry for the tiger. My sympathy for the forgetful tiger is likely why almost twenty years later remember it well. There are no ‘bad characters” in this tale, rather there are two distinct perspectives of what the tiger’s goals could mean for other characters. Those perspectives can be explored further by young children, who often develop strong ideas of right and wrong. This book is developmentally appropriate for early readers and the quality is fantastic. My teacher closed the story by explaining that this was supposedly why the tigers are extinct (yes, we knew better). Nine in One- Grr!-Grr! Is a fun read for its’ beautiful illustrations, repetition and imagination.

[Addison Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from the Hmong culture, this is folktale about why we don’t have many tigers on earth. It began when a tiger wondered when she would have cubs, and how many. So she travels to see the Shao who would be able to tell her her fate. Once she arrives, she is told that she is going to have nine cubs every single year. However, she will only have these cubs if she can remember what the Shao told her. Happy with what she was told by the Shao, the tiger heads home and comes up with a song to help her remember, nine in one grr! grr! As she is singing her song, a bird hears her and worries about what will happen with some many tigers on earth. Surely all of the other animals will be eaten by the tigers. So to keep the earth from having so many tigers, the bird decides that it will make the tiger forget her song, and switches the words to be one in nine grr! grr! The tiger heads home singing her new songs, which is why we don’t see many tigers today.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I am surprised that the tiger was so easy going when the snake confused her. I know she was excited to be a mother, but I would have at least remembered multiple cubs per year. That snake was very clever for reversing her song. If I were the snake I would have changed the numbers too. I would ask my students why they thought the snake wanted 1 cub every 9 years instead of 9 cubs per year. We would continue to talk about how they would feel as the tiger and as the snake at different parts of the books. We would use this book to discuss why order matters.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...
Interest Level
Grades K - 2
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 2.5
Lexile® Measure: 470L
DRA: 18
Guided Reading: K
Genre
Western
Theme/Subject
Animals
Character and Values

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly, but entertaining "pour quoi tale" that explains why tigers have so few offspring. The narrative is entertaining and the illustrations are vividly colorful.

My book club is going to read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures next month, so I was excited to learn a little more about Hmong culture, their embroidered artwork, and their traditional folktales. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Angela Ahrendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very lovely folktale that comes from the culture of the Hmong people of Laos. In the folktale, there is a tiger who wants baby cubs but has none, so she goes to the great Shao to ask how many cubs she will have, and he tells her the she will have nine each year, she must remember this though or this will not happen, so the forgetful tiger makes up a song to help her remember. A mix up eventually occurs, and a silly ending to the story takes place.
This book can be read to children of all ages. I have read it in a preschool classroom, but could also be interesting for older students who are studying literature or folktales that come from different cultures.

[Alyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am Hmong and I have never heard of this folktale before. It was interesting but I can't say I loved it or even liked it that much. This story is about why tigers do not have that many offspring and it is all thanks to a bird.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Story.

[Ashley Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read ityet

[Nikol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cultural folktale