A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories [Hardcover]

Rudyard Kipling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2004

How did the rhinoceros get his wrinkly skin? Why won't cats come when they're called? How did one curious elephant with a nose for trouble change the lives of all elephants everywhere? These eight best-loved stories give inspired answers to these and other intriguing questions. Each story is illustrated by a different major contemporary picture-book artist.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6–Eight well-known tales serve as a showcase for a variety of illustrators. Peter Sís's familiar dots and a watery blue and brown palette illustrate "How the Whale Got His Throat," while Christopher Corr uses bright colors against a hot yellow background to set the scene for "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin." Other artists use collage, watercolors, and woodcuts to illustrate a story; some styles evoke ethnic art, while others are more cartoonlike. Barry Moser's watercolor illustrations offer a more unified vision for Just So Stories, a slightly different set of Kipling's famous tales (Morrow, 1996). While picture-book treatments of a single story are available, libraries in need of a collection can consider this a supplemental purchase.–Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. There are many fine editions of Kipling's perennially popular fables still in print, but this colorful collection of eight tales distinguishes itself with its range of artwork. Well-known children's book artists, including Peter Sis, Jane Ray, and Satoshi Kitamura, contributed the art, each one illustrating a different story. The vibrant mix of styles and materials adds new dimension to favorite stories, while the text remains close to Kipling's original, down to the delicious refrain, "O my Best Beloved." A lively, accessible edition that teachers will want to use with classroom units on pourquoi tales. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844287327
• ISBN-13: 978-1844287321
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,814,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is an abridged version, not the real deal!, May 1, 2009

By 

WRF "rfdc84" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories (Paperback)

I bought this book a couple of years ago. It wasn't until recently, when I was leafing through a very old copy that I found on my shelves that I realized that this book does not contain the following stories that were in the original: How the First Letter was Written; How the Alphabet was Made; The Crab that Played with the Sea; and the Butterfly that Stamped.

In particular, the Crab and the Butterfly are two of the finest Just so Stories and should not be missed. I certainly would not have bought this book had I known it was an abridged version. I suppose that's why the publishers have cleverly entitled this book a "collection". What's an added disappointment is that there is no indication or explanation anywhere in this book regarding the excluded stories--though I can guess at the reasons.

If I were buying, I'd look for a complete edition.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My children LOVE this book!, January 15, 2008

By 

Kelly Erickson "kelbow1600" (Henderson, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories (Hardcover)

I cannot speak highly enough about this wonderful book. It is meant to be read just as it is written and I started reading it to my twin boys when they were 4 years old. Immersing them in such beautiful language is such a gift. They never get tired of hearing the same stories over and over, especially "The Elephant's Child" with his satiable curtiosity! I particularly like this edition of it, because the illustrations are vibrant and interesting, without the book costing a fortune. Each story is very creative and I don't find it offensive at all. It was written in 1900, for crying out loud, and those kids turned out just fine, if you ask me. When your child gets to the stage where they never stop asking questions, you will especially enjoy the accompanying poem at the end of Elephant's Child. This is an absolute must have in any home library. When you read it, just make sure you use your funny voices to make the characters come alive.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Readaloud Material, February 11, 2007

By 

Mary J. Morgan "lover of words" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories (Hardcover)

When I married, Mother gave me our family copy of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories which had scribbles in it from more than one of my five siblings. I don't remember reading it as a child, to be honest, but it was there. When our first two children were old enough to sit still for a story, my husband sat them in his lap and read them "The Elephant's Child" from this volume. After they squirmed a bit, he assigned acting parts to one or the other of them at various times, and by the time the third son came along they were fighting over acting parts. With voice inflection and movement to accompany the reading, they understood this story more and more, and they began to beg for more story time. He added first one and then another of the stories in this classic. Now our second son and his wife have had their first child, and for his first Christmas as a parent we were delighted to give him him own copy, and the two new parents are continuing the tradition. Bravo, Rudyard Kipling, and bravo, Daddy