Just So Stories

These literate and imaginative beast fables contain serious moral messages, but 101 years after their publication children still love them because they're fun. Kipling believed his stories should be read aloud, "just so," and narrator Geoffrey Palmer is just superb. He reads with the gentle assurance of a beloved grown-up, providing Kipling's wildly improbable explanations to inquisitive children. We discover "How the Whale Got His Throat," "How the Camel Got His Hump," "How the Alphabet Was Made," and much more. From South Africa to Jerusalem, from the mid-Atlantic to a fictional island in the Red Sea, all are set in that wonderful place where animals can talk. This charming production includes a pamphlet with drawings and a snippet of classical music as a prelude to each of the 12 stories. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2001
HarperChildren's Audio continues its re-release rollout of classic backlist titles with Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories and Other Tales performed by the late British actor Boris Karloff. Just So stories include "How the Leopard Got His Spots" and "The Elephant's Child"; the "other stories" are tales from Kipling's The Jungle Book, including "Mowgli's Brothers."

Boris Karloff delivers Rudyard Kipling's beloved animal stories in his inimitable style. This new format for a vintage Caedmon recording will become a family favorite. Travel to the "high and far-off times," when once again the elephant's child with "satiable curiosity" will have his nose elongated, the hedgehog and tortoise will confound the jaguar, the camel's laziness and "humpf" will be immortalized with a hump, and even the mighty whale will be outmatched by someone in suspenders. Karloff narrates with eloquent locution and a full repertoire of creature voices that delight the ear. His command of the territory from "the banks of the turbid Amazon to the high veldt" rewards the listener with vivid images. State-of-the-art remastering adds a richness not found in the original presentation. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2003
Gr 1-6-This collection includes Kipling's 12 original Just So Stories narrated by Geoffrey Palmer, whose deep and resonant voice is perfectly suited to the tales. It is satisfying to hear the stories as they were meant to be told-aloud. Kipling originally told the stories to his own children over a century ago. The language is reflective of Kipling's time and place, and children who may have trouble with the language and phrasing will benefit from hearing the stories read. Among the stories included here are "How the Whale Got His Throat," "The Butterfly That Stamped," and "The Elephant's Child." Many of them include a moral or lesson, such as "How the Camel Got His Hump," in which the camel learns a lesson about being lazy and procrastinating. The tales are nicely complemented by bits of classical music including pieces from Saint-Saen's "Carnival of the Animals." The accompanying booklet provides information about Kipling's life and some additional material about the stories. An excellent addition to classic audiobook collections in school and public libraries.-Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, King County Library System, WA

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.