Just So Stories (Puffin Classics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jonathan Stroud (Introduction) "IN the sea, once upon a time, O my Best Beloved, there was a Whale, and he ate fishes..." (more)
Key Phrases: warm white milk, hairy uncle, wild tail, Best Beloved, Elephant's Child, Eldest Magician (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The famous, funny, and inspiring stories of creation as readers have never heard them before. From the tale of how the leopard got his spots to the crab who played with the sea, from the ingenious invention of the alphabet to how the rhinoceros got his wrinkled skin, these stories of strange happenings in the High and Far-Off Times brim with life, humor, and magic.

About the Author

Jonathan Stroud is the author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy and other fantasy books for children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (June 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141321628
• ISBN-13: 978-0141321622
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #22 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( K ) > Kipling, Rudyard
  #27 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > British > Classics > Kipling, Rudyard
  #31 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > Kipling, Rudyard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just So Much Fun, May 20, 2009

By	JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"Just So Stories" is a collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling that uses elements of silliness or the absurd to explain natural phenomenon. Some might just describe them as myths. While the are easily digestible to young readers, older readers may be equally amused. From the camel getting is humps to the creation of the alphabet, the stories are entertaining.

I offer a word of caution to potential buyers. In the 1974 printing, Kipling's own artwork, which apologizes for frequently, illustrates the stories. In that printing and some others, the illustrations are out of sequence with the story and become a distraction. It is not a good way to demonstrate sequence and chronology in young readers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Children's Book!, April 8, 2009

By	C. K. Harper "chefette" (Fullerton, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These cleverly written stories are what I read to my two girls at bedtime. Short enough to hold their attention but with a moral at the end make it worth the reading time for both them and I. With titles such as "How the Rhinoceros got his skin," and "The Beginning of the Armadillos" it introduces children to a creative thought process. Each chapter is a story, start to finish, and each is only a few pages. Love love love. Would read alone even without my 7 yr. old and 4 yr. old audience.