The novelist, short-story writer, and poet Rudyard Kipling has been a favorite of readers young and old since his works first began appearing in the 1880s. Born in India to British parents, Kipling experienced as a child an atmosphere whose exoticism and natural features formed the framework of his literary endeavors. In addition to Just So Stories, Kipling's most popular works include Kim,the Jungle Books, and Captains Courageous. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.

The Just So Stories, composed by Kipling to amuse his children, are "why" stories that explain the origins of natural phenomena. In these imaginative tales, the interactions between animals and humans combine nonsense and absurdity with irony and wisdom.

Generations of children have delighted in Kipling"s Just So Stories and their whimsical explanations for the reasons behind certain animals" distinctive physical characteristics. This new unabridged edition contains all 12 of these imaginatively conceived tales from a master storyteller.

"The Elephant"s Child" reveals how pachyderms came by their trunks, and "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo" discloses the origins of that creature"s unique anatomy. "The Cat That Walked by Himself" offers a beguiling description of the special relationship between cats and those they allow to shelter them. Other fables include "How the Camel Got His Hump," "How the Whale Got His Throat," "How the Leopard Got His Spots," "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin," and five others.

This timeless treasury, now available in a modestly priced edition,promises memorable amusement not only for the children of today but also for yesterday"s children, the adults who may remember hearing or reading the stories when they were young.

How the Whale Got His Throat

How the Camel Got His Hump

How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin

How the Leopard Got His Spots 

The Elephant"s Child

The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo

The Beginning of the Armadilloes 

How the First Letter Was Written

How the Alphabet Was Made

The Crab That Played with the Sea

The Cat That Walked by Himself

The Butterfly That Stamped