Book Description

Special 100th anniversary edtion includes the author's original illustrations and a new introduction.

Drawn from the wondrous tales told to the author as a child, Just So Stories creates the magical enchantment of the dawn of the world when animals could talk and think like people.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 Of all of the many past illustrators of Kipling's stories, only Kipling himself, in the first edition (Doubleday, 1902; o.p.), captured the Oriental tone of these stories. This ``more-than-oriental-splendour'' comes through in Salter's attractive edition. She has done a full-color, full-page illustration for each of the 12 stories, along with decorations for each title page. The illustrations are bold and stylized with a strong use of color, all set within richly patterned borders. They have a strong sense of Indian folk art, particularly in the gold, browns, wines, blues, and blacks that she uses. These are the sort of illustrations that draw readers in to study each detail. They form the framework for an attractive, well-laid-out format. This newest Just So Stories should serve as a fine introduction for another generation of Best Beloveds to this standard children's classic.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. This handsome edition of Kipling's 12 original stories features 10 color plates as well as a number of black-and-white ink drawings. The drawings have a rather sketchy, informal look, whereas the watercolor paintings reflect the more polished, formal style of character portraits often seen in Moser's work. Libraries that offer a selection of the classics will want to add this version to their collections.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Carolyn Phelan

From AudioFile

Rudyard Kipling's imperialistic yet fanciful stories for children are presented by Shelly Frasier in this imaginative production. Kipling gives listeners the stories behind the elephant's long trunk, the camel's spots, and the taming of the first dog, to name just a few of the dozen yarns featuring animal escapades in India and Africa. Frasier's reading reflects the Victorian age in which the stories were written. Sounding oh so proper throughout, her tone is reminiscent of a nanny or a school mistress. Her stuffiness, however, might lose a younger listener after a couple of stories, regardless of the clever and entertaining subject matter. H.L.S.

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

A collection of children's animal fables linked by poems by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1902. Most of the stories include far-fetched descriptions of how certain animals developed their peculiar physical characteristics, as in "How the Leopard Got His Spots." In the stories Kipling parodied the subject matter and style of several traditional works, such as the Buddhist Jataka tales and The Thousand and One Nights.

Inside Flap Copy

Kipling's own drawings, with their long, funny captions, illustrate his hilarious explanations of How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Armadillo Happened, and other animal How's. He began inventing these stories in his American wife's hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont, to amuse his eldest daughter--and they have served ever since as a source of laughter for children everywhere.

Card catalog description

Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects include "How the Whale Got His Throat," "The Elephant's Child," "How the Alphabet Was Made," and "The Butterfly that Stamped."

Book Dimension

length: (cm)17.4 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)10.8