How the Whale got his Throat (Read with Usborne): A Classic Rudyard Kipling Picture Book About Ocean Life for Children

Usborne First Reading Level 1

by Anna Milbourne, John Joven (Illustrator)

Long ago, whales could eat anything -- and they did. This story tells how things changed. Adapted from one of the JUST SO STORIES by Rudyard Kipling.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2025

About the author

Growing up in North West England and in Germany, Anna wrote plays about talking animals, and stories about naughty children, and drew on every available surface. After school, she did an Art Foundation course, then a degree in German Literature & Philosophy at Oxford University. In 1998 she found her perfect job at Usborne in London, writing about everything from curious penguins to trips to the Moon. Usborne.com

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has lovely colourful illustrations and would be suitable for children up to year 2. It isn’t the most exciting or engaging story but it could be used to look at food chains and adaptation in science. It’s about a whale who is so greedy he wanted to eat everything, but after eating a human who escaped and made a grid which he left in the whale’s throat, the whale could only eat small things. It could also be read as a read aloud story as it isn’t too long.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy picture book adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's JUST SO STORIES tale about how a whale's greed backfires so he can no longer eat everything he wants.

A decent picture book adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's folktale/fable. Kids should like the illustrations. And the text is very simple and short for beginning readers or little ones with short attention spans.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this are so informational for children and hold such a wealth of knowledge. I really enjoy reading books, like this one and many others to my children, for if you start them young then they will grow to have a love for reading and adventure!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautifully illustrated book with a nice enough story.

The little kids in my group didn't show up today and it was a bit boring for the older ones. I read it alongside as a "find what doesn't belong" ocean picture and a rendition of Baby Shark.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story

[lye · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations and a fun story!

has some fun puzzles that the older children enjoy doing.

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[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are great. The story is rather lackluster. The blue whale is greedy and eats everything it sees. A clever fish tells the whale to eat a man. The whale swallows a man and his raft. The man causes a ruckus inside the whale, so the whale wants to spit him out. The man tells the whale to take him to land first. While they're traveling, the man makes the raft into a grid and puts it at the back of the whale's throat. That's the author's explanation for why the blue whale only eats very small things.

I would not use this book in storytimes.