Common Sense Media Review
Lively language, funny stories, fanciful animals.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
JUST SO STORIES explores many questions: Why do elephants have trunks? Where did the alphabet come from? How did the leopard get his spots? In these 12 creation fables the mysteries are answered in the most creative ways. Informal pen-and-ink sketches along with detailed watercolor paintings draw the viewer into this charming world.
Is It Any Good?
These stories, written in lyrical, sing-song, half made-up words, flow from the tongue in a way that delights both reader and listener. Designed to be read aloud, they are less successful as a read-alone. Rudyard Kipling wrote these stories for his daughter, and they're named Just So Stories because she wanted them "just so."
The captions to his black and white illustrations are whimsical and gently naughty. They elaborate on the story (and sometimes things that don't even happen in the story). This endearing style doesn't always work. In The Crab That Played, Kipling's showy language is sometimes more confusing than playful. But in How the Whale Got His Throat, every word is aptly chosen.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fables in Just So Stories. How are these animals like people?
Come up with your own fantastic tales to explain how something came to be.
What other stories by Rudyard Kipling have you read or seen as movies? How does this book compare?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Rudyard Kipling
- Genre : Folklore
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Penguin Group
- Publication date : January 1, 1902
- Number of pages : 128
- Last updated : April 15, 2020
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