Product Description

In this gorgeous collection featuring eight of Kipling's JUST SO STORIES, each tale is illustrated by a different leading contemporary artist.

How did the rude Rhinoceros get his baggy skin? How did a 'satiably curious Elephant change the lives of his kin evermore? First told aloud to his young daughter ("O my Best Beloved"), Rudyard Kipling's inspired answers to these and other burning questions draw from the fables he heard as a child in India and the folktales he gathered from around the world. Now, in this sumptuous volume, Kipling's playful, inventive tales are brought to life by eight of today's celebrated illustrators, from Peter Sís's elegantly graphic cetacean in "How the Whale Got His Throat" to Satoshi Kitamura's amusingly expressive characters in "The Cat That Walked by Himself." From one of the world's greatest storytellers come eight classic tales just begging to be heard by a new generation — and a visual feast that offers a reward with every retelling.

Featuring illustrations by:
Christopher Corr
Cathie Felstead
Jeff Fisher
Satoshi Kitamura
Claire Melinsky
Jane Ray
Peter Sís
Louise Voce

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79960 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-07
• Released on: 2004-10-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

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.

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

About the Author
Rudyard Kipling (1865-­1936) was born and spent part of his childhood in India, where he would later work for several years as a journalist and editor. The author's experience as an expatriate influenced much of his writing, including such well-known works as KIM, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and JUST SO STORIES. Rudyard Kipling enjoyed an early success as a writer of short stories and poetry, and in 1907 he became the first Englishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Customer Reviews

My children LOVE this book!
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.

My son loved this book
I don't understand the other comment about not being appropriate for children because my son loved it! A friend gave me this book when my son was 3 years old. I went through it first, to see what the stories were like, before reading any to him. He was used to all the Disney stories up until then, but really liked the stories in this book. This was back in 1989 and 1990. His favorite was "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin." Unfortunately, I sold the book when I moved so now have to buy a new copy that I will give to a friend having a baby. My son still remembers this book and how much fun it was to listen to the stories.

Not what I expected
I had the impression the stories would be good to read to a child, they weren't.