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Just So Stories  By  cover art

Just So Stories

By: Rudyard Kipling
Narrated by: Johanna Ward
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Publisher's summary

Drawn from the enchanting tales told to Kipling as a child in India, Just So Stories reveals the magic of the dawn of the world, when animals could talk and think like people. Cats and dogs, kangaroos and tortoises, hedgehogs and jaguars, whales and leopards, and many others are brought to life in an exotic Eastern landscape of "high and far times ago". Children will discover how the leopard got his spots, the elephant his trunk, and the camel his hump through clever tales that subtly hint at the pitfalls of arrogance and the importance of creativity.

Kipling composed these 12 stories and 12 poems to be read aloud, and their whimsical imagery and rhythmic language are sure to delight both children and adults for another hundred years.

1. "How the Whale Got His Throat"
2. "How the Camel Got His Hump"
3. "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin"
4. "How the Leopard Got His Spots"
5. "The Elephant's Child"
6. "The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo"
7. "The Beginning of the Armadillos"
8. "How the First Letter Was Written"
9. "How the Alphabet Was Made"
10. "The Crab That Played with the Sea"
11. "The Cat That Walked by Himself"
12. "The Butterfly That Stamped"

Public Domain (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Just So Stories

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Just Wonderful Stories

Rediscovered these charming and clever stories as an adult. Johanna Ward's reading makes the most of Kipling's humour and the "personalities" of his animal characters. Well worth multiple listens!

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Good Children’s Stories

These would be good stories to play for children at bedtime. Quite a bit repetitive, but again, good for children. The only problems I have are towards the end of the book. Some stories at the end make religious and chauvinistic references. They are subtle, but present. Good narration throughout.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Great and funny

It was really funny and interesting. I enjoyed this silly book. The performance was great to!

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  • Overall
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Fun stories

It was just a great book with funny stories that I really enjoyed listening to.

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Beautifully rendered

We love this version of these timeless and wonderful stories. Oh Best Beloved, we delight in these tales to the tips of our toes.

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  • BW
  • 01-13-23

Fantastic stories! My son loves them. 👍🏻

Great classic stories by a wonderful writer. Excellently read by the narrator. Perfect for kids and adults.

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Navigation

Great book.

it would be better if there was an easier method to change chapters.

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This has not aged well

The stories try to explain the beginning of everything. With a solid base in the Christian philosophy, it is spiced up with cherry-picked elements from indigenous lore. And sprinkled on top of this mess, are hacked, mangled and absolutely misunderstood bits of Darwins evolution crudely misrepresented.

The most problematic story is the one that constitutes the finale of the book. Wives ask their husbands to not be so boastful, and for that, this heinous crime, they get so severely punished that they cover their faces with veil and promise to not ever speak agan.

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