Drawn from the enchanting tales told to Kipling as a child in India, Just So Stories reveals the magic of the dawn of the world, when animals could talk and think like people. Cats and dogs, kangaroos and tortoises, hedgehogs and jaguars, whales and leopards, and many others are brought to life in an exotic Eastern landscape of "high and far times ago." Children will discover how the leopard got his spots, the elephant his trunk, and the camel his hump, through clever tales that subtly hint at the pitfalls of arrogance and the importance of creativity. Kipling composed these twelve stories and twelve poems to be read aloud, and their whimsical imagery and rhythmic language are sure to delight both children and adults for another hundred years.
Table of Contents
1. "How the Whale Got His Throat" 2. "How the Camel Got His Hump" 3. "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin" 4. "How the Leopard Got His Spots" 5. "The Elephant's Child" 6. "The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo" 7. "The Beginning of the Armadillos" 8. "How the First Letter Was Written" 9. "How the Alphabet Was Made" 10. "The Crab That Played with the Sea" 11. "The Cat That Walked by Himself" 12. "The Butterfly That Stamped"
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"We read these as bed time stories and my kids were very good about getting into their beds and laying down so that I could read them a couple of stories. They are pretty short, so we would usually read 2-3 a night. We finished the book in about 5 days stretching it out. " — Tasha (4 out of 5 stars)
"We read these as bed time stories and my kids were very good about getting into their beds and laying down so that I could read them a couple of stories. They are pretty short, so we would usually read 2-3 a night. We finished the book in about 5 days stretching it out. "
" The book is good, but there is a cassette with Jack Nicholson reading that is wonderful. "
" i want a hat just like the parsee's - with colors of many splendor! "
" I read these to my children and we all enjoyed them. "
" This is a positively charming little book! The stories are told in such a childlike fashion yet use such a wide, cultured vocabulary and perfectly illustrate some of the deep truths of life in general. A must-read for all ages. "
" Starting to reread this one to my son as my dad read to me a few years back. "
" One of my favorites childhood book (and memories). "
" Whimsical, delightful. "The Cat Who Walked By Himself" remains a lifelong favorite. "
" I was glad to have finally read these. We read them to Anna. She enjoyed them, but the language was hard to understand at times and sometimes difficult to read aloud. I read that to hear Kipling tell them was much better than to read them. I imagine he was a great storyteller. "
" My absolute favourite childhood stories which I still love to this day. I can recite the beginning of the armadillos by heart! "
" I loved this book, I can't believe that I missed this one as a child. It is probably one of my favorite children's books of all time. "
" In third grade, my teacher read us 'The Elephant's Child' one day after recess. That night at dinner, I recited the entire thing to my parents. And so began my love for the Just So Stories (and the discovery of my freakishly good memory). "
" Very lovely fables with a refreshingly different(to the U.S. reader) vocabulary. Some were a lot of fun. Some were a little dull, but overall, a quaint, enjoyable read. "
" this is a fabulous book and I highly recommend it to everyone...this is one to keep on the bookshelf and to put in the purse when your traveling with kids....I simplify the language a little so my children listen to it... "
" I read this book all by myself. "
" Another classic children's book with beautifully drawn artwork - this one being my absolute favourite of all time. "
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) was born of English parents in Bombay, India. At seventeen, he began work as a journalist and over the next seven years established an international reputation with his stories and verses of Indian and army life, including such classics as The Jungle Book and Kim. In 1907 he became the first English writer to receive the Nobel Prize.
Johanna Ward (a.k.a. Kate Reading) is an Audie Award–winning narrator and has received numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine. She is also a theater actor in the Washington, DC, area and has been a member of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company since 1987. Her work onstage has been recognized by the Helen Hayes Awards Society, among others. She and her husband live in Hyattsville, Maryland, with their two children.
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