How did the camel get his hump? How did the leopard get his spots? How did the elephant get his trunk? These are questions that children around the world have asked for centuries, but it took Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling’s lively, hilarious stories to give them answers. For one hundred years, these classic tales, drawn from the oral storytelling traditions of India and Africa and filled with mischievously clever animals and people, have entertained young and old alike.Intertwined within these delightful tales are little pearls of wisdom about the pitfalls of arrogance and pride and the importance of curiosity, imagination, and inventiveness.
Animals
A Collection Of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories
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.
Melissa’s Octopus And Other Unsuitable Pets
There are certain animals that make suitable pets, like a cat, a dog, or a guinea pig. Then there are others that make, well, unusual pets, like an octopus, a warthog, or an elephant. They’re too large, too messy, and maybe a tad too free-spirited with a tendency to break things like tables, floors, and even ceilings.
Nuts in Space
An elite crew has finally found the Lost Nuts of Legend. Now all they have to do is go home. Everyone is starving, the Star Nav is broken, the neighbors are distinctly unfriendly, and it was a really bad idea to stop at the Death Banana and ask for directions.
The Octopus Scientists
With three hearts and blue blood, its gelatinous body unconstrained by jointed limbs or gravity, the octopus seems to be an alien, an inhabitant of another world. It’s baggy, boneless body sprouts eight arms covered with thousands of suckers—suckers that can taste as well as feel. The octopus also has the powers of a superhero: it can shape-shift, change color, squirt ink, pour itself through the tiniest of openings, or jet away through the sea faster than a swimmer can follow.
Rhinos Don’t Eat Pancakes
Daisy’s mum and dad are always too busy to listen to a word that she says, so when, one day, she tells them that a big purple rhino has just walked into the house and taken a chomp of her pancake, guess what? That’s right – nobody listens! But there’s a surprise in store for Mum and Dad when they discover that a big purple rhino has gone missing from the zoo. Perhaps they should have taken more notice of what Daisy had to say. Kids will love this funny story about a little girl and her most unlikely new friend.
Monty’s Magnificent Mane
Monty the lion loves his long, golden mane, so he’s not happy when his meerkat friends mess it up. Stomping off to the waterhole, he’s cheered up by the flattery of a new friend, a big green friend. With a SNAP Monty realizes that his flattering pal is actually a giant crocodile looking for dinner.
The Baby Swap
Caroline Crocodile goes to a baby shop to see if she can exchange her drooly brother, but finds that the baby panda is a fussy eater, the baby elephant too squirty and her brother has reason to drool.
Hooray For Hoppy!
When Hoppy the rabbit wakes up on the first day of spring, he discovers a world full of wonderful things. He uses all five senses to sniff the fresh air, listen to the birds sing, taste the fresh grass, watch the lambs in the meadow, and touch the warm ground. Illustrated in bright, bold collage, this story about seasonal change and sensory perception makes a warm and cozy readaloud.
Where’s The Pair?
Can you spot the Siamese cats? Where are the fish with matching fins? This fabulous follow-up to stand-out title The Odd One Out features rhyming riddles accompanied by patterned artwork, within which the answer lies.