Just So Stories
by Rudyard Kipling
Classics, Fiction, Short-Stories, Fantasy, Animals, Young-Adult
Twelve stories about animals, insects, and other subjects: “How the Whale Got His Throat”, about why the larger whales eat only small prey; “How the Camel Got His Hump”, about how the idle camel was punished and given a hump; “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin”, explaining why rhinos have folds in their skin and bad tempers; “How the Leopard Got His Spots”, about leopards and their spots; “The Elephant’s Child”, about how the elephant’s trunk became long; “The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo”, about how the kangaroo assumed long legs and tail; “The Beginning of the Armadillos”, about a hedgehog and tortoise transforming into the first armadillos; “How the First Letter Was Written”, a story about Taffy, a little girl who gave her mother the first picture message; “How the Alphabet Was Made”, which tells how Taffy and her father invent an alphabet; “The Crab that Played with the Sea”, explaining the ebb and flow of the tides, as well as how the crab changed from a huge animal into a small one; “The Cat that Walked by Himself”, about man domesticating all the wild animals, even the cat, which insisted on greater independence; “The Butterfly that Stamped”, about Solomon saving the pride of a butterfly, and the Queen of Sheba using this to prevent his wives scolding him; “The Tabu Tale”, about how Taffy learned all the taboos. (Missing from most British editions)
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 6+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book), originally published in 1902, offer 12 creation fables filled with lively language, humorous stories, and fanciful animals that are rendered in watercolor and pen-and-ink. It’s an unusual and delightful read-aloud. It explores questions such as how the leopard got its spots, how he camel got its hump, how the elephant got his trunk, and so on.
Educational Value: 1/5
Descriptions of animals both factual and imaginative.
Positive Messages: 1/5
Observe animals and imagine who they came to look like they do.
Positive Role Models: 1/5
In fanciful stories, it’s implied that the animals are adaptive. The story of how the leopard got its spots imagines that they were painted by an Ethiopian after he painted himself black — a fantasy explanation that reflects Kipling’s colonialist instincts.
Violence & Scariness: n/a
It may worry young children when the crocodile won’t let go of the elephant.
Sex, Romance & Nudity: n/a
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Language: n/a
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Products & Purchases: n/a
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking: n/a
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