Other editions of book Just So Stories

The Just So Stories for Little Children are a collection written by the British author Rudyard Kipling. Highly fantasised origin stories, especially for differences among animals, they are among Kipling's best known works.The stories, first published in 1902, are pourquoi (French for "why") or origin stories, fantastic accounts of how various phenomena came about. A forerunner of these stories is Kipling's "How Fear Came," included in his The Second Jungle Book (1895). In it, Mowgli hears the story of how the tiger got his stripes.The Just So Stories typically have the theme of a particular animal being modified from an original form to its current form by the acts of man, or some magical being. For example, the Whale has a tiny throat because he swallowed a mariner, who tied a raft inside to block the whale from swallowing other men. The Camel has a hump given to him by a djinn as punishment for the camel's refusing to work (the hump allows the camel to work longer between times of eating). The Leopard's spots were painted by an Ethiopian (after the Ethiopian painted himself black). The Kangaroo gets its powerful hind legs, long tail, and hopping gait after being chased all day by a dingo, sent by a minor god responding to the Kangaroo's request to be made different from all other animals.Kipling illustrated the original editions of the Just So Stories. Other illustrators of the book include Joseph M. Gleeson.

First published in 1902, “Just So Stories” is Rudyard Kipling’s classic collection of animal fables and poetry. This collection grew out of nighttime story-telling between Rudyard and his daughter Josephine. The peculiar name is drawn from her insistence that these tales, which were origin stories describing how animals got their most distinctive features, be told “just so”. This volume reproduces the complete edition of “Just So Stories” which includes the following stories: “How The Whale Got His Throat”, “How The Camel Got His Hump”, “How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin”, “How The Leopard Got His Spots”, “The Elephant’s Child”, “The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo”, “The Beginning of the Armadillos”, “How The First Letter Was Written”, “How The Alphabet Was Made”, “The Crab That Played With The Sea”, “The Cat That Walked By Himself”, “The Tabu Tale”, and “The Butterfly That Stamped”. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and includes the original illustrations by the author.

Rudyard Kipling first entertained his own children with these warm, delightful and humorous stories, which he later wrote down for publication in 1902. Conjuring up distant lands and exotic jungles, they are bewitching and entertaining for adults and children alike. This edition is NOT a facsimile but it does use the original illustrations which appeared in 1902.

First published in 1902, “Just So Stories” is Rudyard Kipling’s classic collection of animal fables and poetry. This collection grew out of nighttime story-telling between Rudyard and his daughter Josephine. The peculiar name is drawn from her insistence that these tales, which were origin stories describing how animals got their most distinctive features, be told “just so”. This volume reproduces the complete edition of “Just So Stories” which includes the following stories: “How The Whale Got His Throat”, “How The Camel Got His Hump”, “How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin”, “How The Leopard Got His Spots”, “The Elephant’s Child”, “The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo”, “The Beginning of the Armadillos”, “How The First Letter Was Written”, “How The Alphabet Was Made”, “The Crab That Played With The Sea”, “The Cat That Walked By Himself”, “The Tabu Tale”, and “The Butterfly That Stamped”. This edition includes the original illustrations by the author and a biographical afterword.

"Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects include How the Camel Got His Hump. The Butterfly That Stamped, and How the Alphabet Was Made. The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs - everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation.With an inspiring introduction by Jonathan Stroud, author of the 'Bartimaeus' trilogy, and including fun-filled endnotes."

- Beautifully illustrated with atmospheric paintings by renowned artists, Just So Stories is Kipling's delightful collection of tales that provide entertaining explanations of how certain animals were created. Favorites include 'How the Elephant got his Trunk' and The Butterfly that Stamped'. - Just as accessible and enjoyable for today's readers as they would have been when first published over a century ago, the children's stories are among the great works of English literature and continue to be widely read throughout the world.- This meticulous digital edition from Heritage Illustrated Publishing is a faithful reproduction of the original text.

"Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects include How the Camel Got His Hump. The Butterfly That Stamped, and How the Alphabet Was Made. The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs - everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation.With an inspiring introduction by Jonathan Stroud, author of the 'Bartimaeus' trilogy, and including fun-filled endnotes."

"Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects include How the Camel Got His Hump. The Butterfly That Stamped, and How the Alphabet Was Made. The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs - everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation.With an inspiring introduction by Jonathan Stroud, author of the 'Bartimaeus' trilogy, and including fun-filled endnotes."