Just So Stories Set

From Publishers Weekly<br/><br/>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."<br/>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.<br/><br/>Product Description<br/><br/>IN the sea, once upon a time, O my Best Beloved, there was a Whale, and he ate fishes. He ate the starfish and the garfish, and the crab and the dab, and the plaice and the dace, and the skate and his mate, and the mackereel and the pickereel, and the really truly twirly-whirly eel. All the fishes he could find in all the sea he ate with his mouth-so! Till at last there was only one small fish left in all the sea, and he was a small 'Stute Fish, and he swam a little behind the Whale's right ear, so as to be out of harm's way. Then the Whale stood up on his tail and said, 'I'm hungry.<br/><br/>Review<br/><br/>''A collection of children's animal fables linked by poems by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1902. Most of the stories include far-fetched descriptions of how certain animals developed their peculiar physical characteristics, as in ''How the Leopard Got His Spots.'' In the stories Kipling parodied the subject matter and style of several traditional works, such as the Buddhist Jataka tales and The Thousand and One Nights.'' --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature<br/><br/>From the Inside Flap<br/><br/>Kipling's own drawings, with their long, funny captions, illustrate his hilarious explanations of How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Armadillo Happened, and other animal How's. He began inventing these stories in his American wife's hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont, to amuse his eldest daughter--and they have served ever since as a source of laughter for children everywhere.<br/><br/>From School Library Journal<br/><br/>Grade 3-6 Of all of the many past illustrators of Kipling's stories, only Kipling himself, in the first edition (Doubleday, 1902; o.p.), captured the Oriental tone of these stories. This ``more-than-oriental-splendour'' comes through in Salter's attractive edition. She has done a full-color, full-page illustration for each of the 12 stories, along with decorations for each title page. The illustrations are bold and stylized with a strong use of color, all set within richly patterned borders. They have a strong sense of Indian folk art, particularly in the gold, browns, wines, blues, and blacks that she uses. These are the sort of illustrations that draw readers in to study each detail. They form the framework for an attractive, well-laid-out format. This newest Just So Stories should serve as a fine introduction for another generation of Best Beloveds to this standard children's classic. Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library<br/>Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.<br/><br/>From AudioFile<br/><br/>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 © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine<br/><br/>From Booklist<br/><br/>Ages 3-5. Of all the editions of Kipling's