Just So Stories (Everyman's Library Children's Classics)
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 ...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
November 3rd 1992
by Everyman's Library
(first published 1902)
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How The Kipling Got His Reputation
Once upon a time, Best Beloved, when the world was middle-aged and good Queen Victoria sat on the throne, there was a Kipling. And even though he constantly had to carry around a White Man's Burden (an object, by the way, which he had invented himself, and very proud he was of it too), he was as happy as the day is long. And he would often stop for a moment, and sing a little song he'd written, which began
Once upon a time, Best Beloved, when the world was middle-aged and good Queen Victoria sat on the throne, there was a Kipling. And even though he constantly had to carry around a White Man's Burden (an object, by the way, which he had invented himself, and very proud he was of it too), he was as happy as the day is long. And he would often stop for a moment, and sing a little song he'd written, which began
Mamma Pajama rolled out of bed and ran to the...more
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These are such fun to read out loud, and I particularly like the descriptions of the illustrations.
My favorites are:
"How the Whale Got His Throat", featuring the small 'Stute Fish and the mariner of infinite-resource-and-sagacity wearing his suspenders (which you must not forget, Best Beloved).
"The Elephant's Child", who was full of 'satiable curiosity and who escapes from the croccodile with the aid of the Bi-Coloured Python Rock Snake on ...more
My favorites are:
"How the Whale Got His Throat", featuring the small 'Stute Fish and the mariner of infinite-resource-and-sagacity wearing his suspenders (which you must not forget, Best Beloved).
"The Elephant's Child", who was full of 'satiable curiosity and who escapes from the croccodile with the aid of the Bi-Coloured Python Rock Snake on ...more
Loved all the stories, but my personal favorite was about Elephant's Child. Sometimes 'satiable curiosity doesn't kill you; it gets you a very practical appendage with which you can spank your bossy Relatives and hove them into a wasp's nest. And let's face it, O Best Beloved, we've all had that impulse.
The book that made me fall in love with storytelling. I still have my mother's hardbound edition, with marvelous color plates, published in the 20s. Kipling may have been a romantic apologist for the British Empire, but the man knew how to weave a spell in children's stories, and he can be quite playful and inventive with language. Just read the first line of any number of stories and you'll immediately understand his timeless appeal. My favorites are from The Cat that Walked by Himself --...more
Kipling’s Just So Stories are timeless tales of “the beginning of years”, richly illustrated in words as much as pictures. Kipling’s imitation of oral folklore traditions begs to be read aloud with words and phrases that roll off the tongue with a sound like the magic they invoke. The narrative itself even occasionally asks the reader to give voice to the words (“Say that quickly aloud, and you will see how very shadowy the forest must have been”). Brent’s illustrations are not necessary to K...more
Kipling writes down stories that follow the oral storytelling tradition from third world cultures. They are rich and relevent even today and contain messages both poignant and silly (often in the same tale).
I checked this out of the library because it was the book for my "polite church ladies book club" for September, but I did read a couple of them aloud to my children, who laughed and asked me to read them again. They enjoyed the tale of how the armidillo was created. It's a t...more
I checked this out of the library because it was the book for my "polite church ladies book club" for September, but I did read a couple of them aloud to my children, who laughed and asked me to read them again. They enjoyed the tale of how the armidillo was created. It's a t...more
I love Kipling. I love his Jungle Books (Rikki Tikki Tavi the brave mongoose is my hero), his poetry, and these - the 'Just so' stories - so called because they are 'Just So'. This is a collection of whimsical animal stories for small children and are delightful.
Kipling falls in and out of fashion, his name forever associated with the British Empire and "jingoism." Yet his poetry (The Power of the Dog) and his books (The Man who would be King) deserve to be judged on their o...more
Kipling falls in and out of fashion, his name forever associated with the British Empire and "jingoism." Yet his poetry (The Power of the Dog) and his books (The Man who would be King) deserve to be judged on their o...more
Just So Stories:
Simple stories can have a deeper meaning
What if animals could talk? In Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, this is the case. This delightful collection of fables has many different topics that are explained through short stories in which animals can talk and people can understand them. The setting varies throughout the book; at some points the stories take place in a jungle and at others, near the sea. Th...more
Simple stories can have a deeper meaning
What if animals could talk? In Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, this is the case. This delightful collection of fables has many different topics that are explained through short stories in which animals can talk and people can understand them. The setting varies throughout the book; at some points the stories take place in a jungle and at others, near the sea. Th...more
For me, Just So Stories was extremely boring. i do appreciate the creativity and the originality of each story though. the main reason that i did not enjoy the book was because the stories were told in a very uninteresting way. the language used was very dull and it did not help in grabbing my attention.
as you can tell by the title, this book talks about why animals do certain things that they do or why they look a certain way. i thought it would be interesting to read about how a l...more
as you can tell by the title, this book talks about why animals do certain things that they do or why they look a certain way. i thought it would be interesting to read about how a l...more
I can't figure out if I miss stories like these or they simply didn't exist in my lifetime. Somewhere along the lines of time, I feel as though kids' books became either mature or childish, one or the other. Both are great (The Hunger Games vs The Giving Tree), but fables are neither. They endure somewhere in between, balancing an older sensibility with younger ambition. Fables come off as simplistic weaves of a more baffling world, always with an eerie charm of universality. To me, fables never...more
Delightful stories from the natural world where animals talk and where man is but a cameo and nature waves its magic wand. Kipling was one of the authors i loved as a kid owing to "The Jungle Book" coming as an animated series in the National Television channel. I even remember seeing this book at a book fair quite a few years back too, but then it took me so long to get this book . Until I went through the foreword penned for this book, I never understood the tinge of tragedy that sur...more
I bought this book some time back and grabbed the chance to read it when I had to hop on a flight to Mumbai yesterday. Bought this book for two reasons first one being that I have heard a lot about Kipling and from a lot of different people but never came around to read any of his works. Second, the names of the short stories being very intriguing to say the least. With the name of the stories like 'how the camel got his hump', 'how the first alphabet was written', 'the cat that walked by himsel...more
Rudyard Kipling put this collection of stories together for his daughter. The stories are all about animals, and how they came to be. "How the Camel Got His Hump", "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin", and "How the Leopard Got His Spots" are just a few from the book. They are beautifully written stories, with lots of repetition and play on the sounds of words, which makes the stories great for read alouds. The characters (and the narrator!) have strong voices, so it is...more
I was always disappointed that my book of creation stories by Rudyard Kipling did not include my favorites of his animal stories--Kotick the White Seal, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, or Toomai of the Elephants. But, in trying to find public domain works to record for my independent research this semester (into YouTube as a forum for educational works to support students who find reading difficult), I discovered value in the Just So Stories.
Racially problematic? Yes. Unscientific? Well, that's th...more
Racially problematic? Yes. Unscientific? Well, that's th...more
Wayne
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
as an awful contrast to real myths
Recommended to Wayne by:
Kipling's own excellent short stories
Shelves:
children-s-books
Anyone who addresses his stepdaughter as 'O my Best Beloved' just has to be putting it on!!!Or has a slight touch of the "Lolitas"!!
And the same goes for these very cutsie "myths" which are pretty trite when set against real myths where ancient peoples tried to explain the wonders and mysteries and significant phenomena of their worlds.These ancient stories have lasted because they were worth retelling.They were never published but handed on and polished over cent...more
And the same goes for these very cutsie "myths" which are pretty trite when set against real myths where ancient peoples tried to explain the wonders and mysteries and significant phenomena of their worlds.These ancient stories have lasted because they were worth retelling.They were never published but handed on and polished over cent...more
Hmmmm...a hard book to rate. I didn't give this two stars because I DISLIKED it, but I certainly didn't love it. It was a bit of a chore. But I can also tell this is a very skilled writer. Some of the things in the book were just downright confusing. At some points I didn't even know if the author knew what he was talking about, but it was good. It entertained and eased your head up into dreamy clouds. More like a bedtime story. :) I don't think I'll read it again though. It was a once time thin...more
I cannot speak highly enough about these stories. I have been reading them to my kids since they were 3 years old and they never get tired of them. The language is rich and beautiful and a blast to read out loud. This book is an absolute must for your personal library.
I really liked this book a lot. It was very imaginative and Rudyard Kipling wrote this book for younger generations. Even thought it was written for young kids it is still entertaining for me. It was about how animals got their distinct characteristics.
It starts off with a whale. A fish tells a whale how tasty humans are and tells him where to find a sailor who had been in a shipwreck. The whale finds the man and eats him along with his raft. The man is making a ruckus in his stomach and t...more
It starts off with a whale. A fish tells a whale how tasty humans are and tells him where to find a sailor who had been in a shipwreck. The whale finds the man and eats him along with his raft. The man is making a ruckus in his stomach and t...more
This classic by Rudyard Kipling is just awesome. I love how it is set up. Kipling actually put this collection of stories together for his daughter. All of the stories are about animals and how they came to be. For example, “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin” or “How the Camel Got His Hump”. These are just a few stories from the book. These stories are written so well with a lot of repetition. Because of the repetition, it would make these stories a good read aloud for children because they could ...more
I saw this book on a book list for kids, and so when I saw it in the library I decided to read it to my son. It is a cute book, though with an old-fashioned feel. If my son were in the States, he would be in the second grade, and I felt he was a little immature for this book. I think it is better for kids who are at least nine or so.
My two favorite stories were probably the last two in the book--the one about the cat and the one about the butterfly.
The two stories abou...more
My two favorite stories were probably the last two in the book--the one about the cat and the one about the butterfly.
The two stories abou...more
นิทานเกี่ยวกับสัตว์เล่มนี้ เราก็ว่ามันเป็นนิทานสำหรับเด็กแท้ๆ แต่ท้ายเล่มมันรีวิวไว้ว่าเขียนเสียดสีสังคมด้วย ดังนั้นกลอนที่อยู่ท้ายบทแต่ละบทนักอ่านวัยเยาว์จะอ่านไม่เข้าใจ (เออ...ชั้นมันนักอ่านวัยเยาว์)
รูปประกอบสวยมาก และชอบสำนวนแปลด้วย
รูปประกอบสวยมาก และชอบสำนวนแปลด้วย
Rudyard Kipling swept me off my feet with these stories. It was the first time I've read Kipling since seventh-grade English class with Coach Durham, and I wonder now why I haven't returned sooner. (I should say "I listened." I checked out the audio version read by rich baritone, Geoffrey Palmer. He's the grandfather full of hyperbolic tales you wish you had.) The stories are whimsical and imaginative, perfect for a five-year old. But the insight Kipling sheds even in these children's ...more
In the process of rehashing some childhood nostalgias, I picked up Just So Stories, remembering the vivid Lamarckian animal tales that once completely captivated me. And it is true, as those animal stories - and The Elephant's Child in particular - are amazingly clever little tales that had me in giggles. Left out of my childhood books were probably the remaining stories having to do with people; unfortunately, they are not only not as interesting, but suffer from Kipling's retrograde and imperi...more
I read this to my son before he knew how to read. He was, and still is, my best beloved.
The best story book available the kids and all those adults which have a kid somewhere in them. It takes you on an journey of various reasons to the questions which a child always ask you like take for example why elephants nose is very long??
It satisfies their curiosity through the imagination and this in turns broaden your imagination and that too in a very simple and in an innocent way:)
i really liked the book and strongly recommend this book to every parent especially to th...more
It satisfies their curiosity through the imagination and this in turns broaden your imagination and that too in a very simple and in an innocent way:)
i really liked the book and strongly recommend this book to every parent especially to th...more
I’m not sure if this is the right edition and may have to alter it, but I listened to this collection with my kids on our school commute, and we all loved it. The narrator does an excellent job of telling the tales and doing the voices, and the stories really captured and held the attention of my children. They didn’t appreciate the humour, but I found myself laughing frequently. I never read these as a child and am glad to have the chance to truly enjoy them as an adult. Listening to it felt li...more
Infinite Playlist
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Muphyn
Recommended to Infinite Playlist by:
Tony
Shelves:
forms-short-stories,
creatures-animals
Just So Stories is a collection of rather funny stories that explain how certain things in the world happened: how the alphabet was made up, how the armadillo came into existence, how the elephant got its trunk, how the wild dog became the pet dog we know today and more.
Reading those stories was sometimes a little difficult because of the old language but as Mister Kipling had made up those stories for his children the tales were rather simple and easy to understand, especially with ...more
Reading those stories was sometimes a little difficult because of the old language but as Mister Kipling had made up those stories for his children the tales were rather simple and easy to understand, especially with ...more
"Just So Stories" graceful prose and pungent humor of these 12 tall tales place them in the same league with such children's classics as Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. Kipling's verbal dexterity remains audible over time--even the openings of his classic book hark to a golden age of storytelling.
Kipling's classic volume of stories concerns the great questions of history; "How the Whale got his Throat", "How the Camel got his Hump", "How th...more
Kipling's classic volume of stories concerns the great questions of history; "How the Whale got his Throat", "How the Camel got his Hump", "How th...more
This is one of the best book that I read the whole year. I really like reading about animals and stories. This book has both of it for me. One of the advantage of these books is that they do not get boring talking about a single subject. It was also fun to read about how different animals have didnt unique features. Of course we know that there are scientific explanation for these occurings but it is fun to see how people interpret nature in the pass. Overall this book gets a 9/10 and I recommen...more
If you have never been to the great, grey, green, greasy Limpopo River, or heard the story of how writing came to be, or walked the wild lone, then, o, hear and attend and listen, o best beloved! This collection of short stories is magical, with a kind of magic that keeps the world fresh and beautiful and delightful. They are classified as children's stories, but there is so much to them! The Eldest Magician is someone everyone should know. I read them to myself as bed-time stories, even as ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs. Fabsik's 6th...: Just So Stories | 3 | 4 | Dec 10, 2011 08:23pm | |
| :-) | 4 | 15 | Apr 15, 2011 04:19pm |
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kip...
More about Rudyard Kipling...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kip...
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“Of course the Man was wild too. He was dreadfully wild. He didn't even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked out a nice dry Cave, instead of a heap of wet leaves, to lie down in; and she strewed clean sand on the floor; and she lit a nice fire of wood at the back of the Cave; and she hung a dried wild-horse skin, tail down, across the opening of the Cave; and she said, 'Wipe your feet, dear, when you come in, and now we'll keep house.”
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“I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.”
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