Just So Stories (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Essential read for Any young person

I love these stories. I've loved their subtle rhythm and magnificent, genius wording ever since I was a child. Now, my children get the chance to enjoy them read aloud as well, and even in doctor's offices, in stores, anywhere my portable nook goes. Love it! Our favorites: The cat who walked by himself, the Elephant's child, and especially How the camel got his hump. To see Kipling's genius at work, and yet also be able to enjoy what you are reading to your children is a priceless gift. This edition seems whole, and, in the most part, without glaring errors, although the brief poems at the ending of chapters are a bit difficult to read with the stanzas edited oddly.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Stories!!

I grew up with my Mom reading the Just So Stories to me. They were clever and I enjoyed them thoroughly. I don't think I can ever forget the way my Mom used to read The Elephant's Child to me. She'd would always use funny voices. I highly recommend this book. I garantee full enjoyment for the whole family!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Humorous Look at How Strengths Emerge from Weaknesses!

Let me make it clear that I am reviewing the Signet Classics version of Just So Stories. The reason I say that is because the original versions of these stories contain material that would be offensive to most people today, but the worst of that has been removed from this edition. The other advantage of this version is that it contains Kipling's own illustrations and his captions for those illustrations. Finally, this version is also very inexpensive. These stories were told to Kipling in their original form when he was a child by his Indian nursemaids. They are drawn from many non-Western sources, and provide good contrasts with European fairy tales. In most cases, the stories are about animals or early human beings and their development into their modern form or capabilities. But they are really satires on human weaknesses, with the moral showing how overcoming a weakness will usually create a strength. Here are the stories and their morals: How the Whale Got His Throat -- If you get too greedy, you will bite off more than you can chew. By taking on less at a time, you can absorb more in total. How the Camel Got His Hump -- If you are lazy and procrastinate, you will just have to do without in the future and be less attractive in order to make up for it. Having resources for times of scarcity is always helpful. How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin -- Being too aggressive will cause you to experience retribution from those you harm. With more flexibility, you can be more agile. How the Leopard Got His Spots -- You have a better chance of success if you blend in, rather than trying to stand out individually too much. The Elephant's Child -- If you are too nosy, you can get into mischief. Having a keen nose can help you sniff out and execute more opportunities. The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo -- Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. Being boundless gives you the chance to explore more. The Beginning of the Armadillo -- Versatility is more valuable than knowing just one way to handle a situation. How the First Letter Was Written -- Miscommunication is easier to accomplish than correct communication. Double-check to be sure the message is understood. How the Alphabet Was Made -- Choose combinations of communication that are unambiguous, or you will find yourself confusing everyone. This story is a brilliant essay on how one might go about inventing written language. The Crab that Played with the Sea -- Consider the consequences of your actions before you act, or you may see the actions rebound against you. The Cat that Walked by Himself -- The benefits of helping others greatly improve one's own life. The Butterfly that Stamped -- Actions taken for the right reason have just consequences while actions taken for pride tend to boomerang against us. Each story contains a prose tale, followed by a brief poem. The illustrations are explained in the caption at the end. The style of the stories includes lots of funny repetition, especially in the names of rivers and the features of the animals being described. With each re

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

lively, humorous stories

In this collection of well-known stories including "The Butterfly that Stamped," "How the Whale Got his Throat," and "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo," we learn how the camel got his hump, how the leopard got his spots, and how the elephant got his trunk. These are questions that children have asked for centuries around the world, but it took Nobel Prize winning English author Rudyard Kipling to give them answers in these lively, hilarious stories that are drawn from the oral storytelling traditions of India and Africa and filled with mischievously clever animals and people.
They have entertained young and old alike for over one hundred years with their intertwined little pearls of wisdom about the pitfalls of arrogance and pride and the importance of curiosity, imagination, and inventiveness. We have previously read and enjoyed Kipling's The Jungle Books ("Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is one of my favorite stories of all time), and the Just So Stories are a worthy and delightful follow up. It is important, of course, to remember that these stories are just myths or legends and told with a dose of tongue in cheek humor.
In fact, there will be a few inside jokes that only adults will understand--nothing risque or inappropriate, just some plays on words that may be over the heads of some children. However, when we explained them to Jeremy, age twelve, he found them funny. In Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Nathaniel Bluedorn noted, "This story of how the leopard got his spots, how the elephant stretched his nose, et cetera. These stories are told in easy flowing language."

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good stories, badly formatted.

Just So Storied are some of Kipling's best for small and even not-so-small children. However, this version seems to be a badly scanned and OCR'd example. The table of contents does not link properly, thete are typographical errors, pictures do not fully display, switching between portrait and landscape mode does not work.

All that said, the stories are still readable and delightful.

Beware of the N Word

I was surprised to find the N word used. I guess my folks changed the stories when I was little, because I wasnt expecting it. Beware when you are reading to your kids.

Nook google version

I hate digitized versions...no pics...lots of texts errors...i wanted pdf scanned original pages

Short stories

The Just So Stories are a collection of short 'Creation stories'. How the camel got his hump, How the leopard got his spots, etc. They are meant to be read aloud and the audio version is fantastic.

Good i guess but...

I was hoping to see illustrations having to do with the stories but there were none at all. The stories are pretty much the same as the other versions though.

I love the just so stories the best book ever

The begining of the armadillos is probably my favorite especially when painted jaguar was confused about which one was tortoise and which was a hedgehog

Do not download

Look elsewhere for the fables -- the formatting is terrible

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Trouble

Im having trouble downloading this!!!:(

Great book

Great book!!! I think every kid should read it!

No errors and the original pictures!

I have looked at many copies before finding one that was not rotten with transcription errors. This one has the original pictures with no random font changes. Kipling deserves a clean transcription like this.

"Daddy's left ear -- the one that belonged to her to pull when she was good"

A wee Neolithic Cave Girl trying her best to help Daddy had a hand in two great inventions: pictographic writing and the phonetic alphabet. Read all about it in Rudyard Kipling's 12 JUST SO STORIES of 1902. *** Daddy was named Tegumai Bopsulai and he lived "cavily in a Cave" with wife Teshumai Twindrow and small daughter Taffimai Metallumai (meaning "Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked"). Call her Taffy. She was her parents' Best Beloved "and was not spanked half as much as was good for her." One day Teshumai took a spear and went fishing in the Wagai river. Spearing carp-fish for dinner was the goal and Taffy came along. Daddy shattered his spear on the hard river bottom. Taffy then drew a picture, clear to her but to no one else, and persuaded a wandering adult man who spoke another language to bring it to the Cave and fetch back more fishing spears. Despite all the hullabaloo and misunderstandings, Taffy had written the first letter. *** Next, Taffy and Daddy cooperated to create a phonetic alphabet based on pictograms. And they had so much fun doing it that Taffy felt it was safe to run "down to the river" and "pull her Daddy's left ear -- the one that belonged to her to pull when she was good." And to this day children have fun learning their alphabet the Taffy way. *** Most of the other ten JUST SO STORIES are tongue in cheek yarns about how a variety of animals including whale, camel, rhinoceros, leopard, young elephant, kangaroo, armadillo and crab had various changes made to their anatomy while interacting with their environment. A favorite tale is of the anarchically-minded, what's-in-it-for-me Cat negotiating his way into a precarious relationship in a time much before Taffy's with the Man, the Woman and the Baby. Cat would never be as unquestioningly devoted and caring as Dog and Horse but he made a place for himself among mankind. But "... when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him." *** I suspect that both children and parents will be happily reading JUST SO STORIES "for always and always and always." -OOO-

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Horrible

My son did like it, it was too boring for him and he's only 7...

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

great story must read

great way to learn something of the past. by listening to an authors words from the past to under stand the past

So, good it brings brings back memories!

I haven't read this book in at least 30 years, but it was one of my favorites and I can still remember some parts from the all the wonderful stories. A definite read for children.

READ IT OUT LOUD!

Children love to hear the stories in this book. It is written like no other book I have read. Read it OUT LOUD and with enthusiasm. Listen to the sounds of the words from your own voice and you and your children will see why it is treasured.

A must for reading aloud

Kipling, unfortunately, has been too long forgotten by parents when it comes to reading to children. Though the Jungle Book is wonderful his other works should not collect dust on the bookshelf. This is a truly outstanding selection. The cadence of his prose inspires animation in the reader and the listener. If you haven't read to your children in a while, pick this one up. Relive your own sense of wonder as a child, stir your child's imagination, and watch the love of reading blossom.