Just So Stories Great Read Alouds for Upper Elementary Kids
Summary
Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories have been delighting children since they were first published in 1902. For some time, I had been looking for a good unabridged edition of Just So Stories, and I was delighted to find a splendid edition published by Palazzo. From the thick smooth pages of the book to the magnificent detailed watercolor illustrations by Robert Ingpen, this is a book you'll want to share with not only your children but your children's children.
Kipling's stories about the first animals and the beginning of the world are wonderful and both the illustrations and quality of this edition of Just So Stories do justice to them.
Background
A four-page illustrated biography at the beginning of this edition answered some of the questions I had. I'd wondered how Rudyard Kipling came to write the stories and why they are called "Just so stories." Kipling was already a successful poet, novelist and short story writer before he wrote the stories, but he enjoyed coming up with stories to entertain his daughter, Josephine. Whenever he'd change the way he told one of the stories, she'd scold him, saying, "Not like that, Daddy. Tell it just so!" When his six-year old daughter died of pneumonia, he was devastated. Three years after her death, his book Just So Stories was published. The voice of the narrator is full of humor and affection, speaking directly to readers - "O my Best Beloved" - as if speaking to his daughter.
The Stories
There were 12 Just So stories originally, with a thirteenth, The Tabu Tale, added later.
Unlike many editions, this edition contains all 13 of the stories. It also includes a profile of the author and an illustrator's note about Kipling's original illustrations. As you'll see from the following list, the titles of many of the stories give readers a good idea of what each tale is about:
- 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 Tabu Tale
- The Crab that Played with the Sea
- The Cat that Walked by Himself
- The Butterfly that Stamped
Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling was born December 30, 1865 in Bombay, India. He received his education in England, but without the academic or financial resources for Oxford University, he returned to India. It was there he became a writer, known for his short stories and poems. After he married and settled in Vermont for four years, he enjoyed more success with The Jungle Book and Captain Courageous. Returning to England in 1896, he and his family lived in Sussex until his death in 1936. In 1907, Rudyard Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. For more about Kipling's life, see this book or the resources below.
(Sources: Just So Stories, pages 6-9, The Poetry Foundation, The Kipling Society)
Robert Ingpen
Australian artist Robert Ingpen recevied his art education at The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, studying illustration art and book design. He has illustrated a number of classic children's books, including: A Christmas Carol, The Secret Garden, The Wizard of Oz and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. His contributions to children's literature have been recognized with the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, among other honors.
(Sources: Palazzo: Robert Ingpen)
My Recommendation
This is a collection to enjoy in two ways - as a book to listen to and as an illustrated book to look at and read or to look at and listen to. For several months when I was in third grade, our teacher read one of the Just So stories to us every Wednesday after lunch. I still remember how much I looked forward to Wednesdays and how enjoyable the stories were. The stories are wonderful read alouds. It's a special treat for kids who have already learned to read to have someone read aloud to them. Just hearing the stories, without even looking at the illustrations, gives listeners the opportunity to create their own pictures in their own minds.
The book is also a wonderful book to read or share, enjoying the stunning illustrations along with the fantastic stories, word play and humor. I recommend Just So Stories for ages 7 to adult. If you are looking for a book to give as a gift for a whole family, this edition would be an excellent choice. (Palazzo, 2013. ISBN: 9780957148314)
Rudyard Kipling Resources From About.com
For more information about Rudyard Kipling, his life and his work, see the following:
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