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Summary: One of my all-time favorites, as a child, and as an adult
Review: I love this book, and loved it as a child, for the writing, the stories, and for the pictures which I could pore over again and again, looking for new details I missed previously. I have remembered and talked about many of the stories throughout my life, particularly The Cat Who Walks by Himself, and The Elephant's Child. I also like . . . oh, well, there are just too many to talk about. Read them for youself, and to your kids.The stories are complex and mysterious and, though I can't say much for Kipling's politics, I find them delightful. I think most children will, too. As an adult, I couldn't get my mother to part with my childhood copy so I went out and bought one of my own. A classic!
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Summary: Charming stories with a charming presentation.
Review: I recently purchased this set on cd with a gift certificate for my young daughter. The price tag may have put me off at any other time, but since I was getting it with a certificate, I went for it. I read these stories cover to cover repeatedly as a little girl and took great delight in the hilarity of the answers to such questions as "how did the leopard get his spots?" or "how did the camel get his hump?" Kipling's stories are marvelously nonsensical - which makes them fit for a child's world. However, it was not until hearing them read aloud on this very set that I realized his rhyme and use of repetitive words or phrases is very similar to our modern master of children's literature: Dr. Seuss. It would not surprise me to find that Seuss took his inspiration from the works of Kipling. This is not striking to a reader, but as you listen to his words brought to life by the human voice it is hard to miss. Geoffrey Palmer, of As Time Goes By, is one of my favorite actors. His voice and interpretation of these beautiful stories enhances the experience so much that I was laughing out loud listening to him in my car. His dry sense of humor is felt in his characterizations of the cast and the lulling of his voice lends a calming, gentle, and sophisticated quality to the text. I now can simply not imagine these stories being read by anybody else. Finally, the classical musical selection is superb and adds an intelligent whimsiness to the piece. I would highly recommend this set as a lovely gift for any child you find "tenacious and full of segacity". What a delightful alternative to the screech of today's cartoons and children's "pop" albums full of Britney Spears remakes.
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Summary: Delightful Stories to Read Aloud
Review: If you enjoy language and good story-telling this book belongs on your bookshelf. I've been reading the stories to my seven-year-old daughter who eats them up. Yes, the vocabulary is challenging - it isn't Berenstain Bears! But there is a time for "I Can Read" books and a time for "Read to Me" books. This will challenge kids and their imaginations, especially if they love animals like my kids do. And it's not just for kids - I love the stories too! Buy it!
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Summary: Politically incorrect? - your children can handle it.
Review: Kipling�s classic volume of stories concerns the great questions of history; How the Whale got his Throat, How the Camel got his Hump, How the Alphabet was Made and many other thorny dilemmas. The language is sophisticated yet often whimsical and children love to hear the words read aloud. It is tempting to scan ahead and change things, substitute more contemporary phrases for the old but, if you can, resist the urge. Kipling was a master of the language. His writing is balanced and fluid and while it may seem dated when taken piece by piece, its sum is far greater than its parts. Read The Cat that Walked by Himself and you will never look at your own pet in quite the same way again.
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Summary: Just so Stories
Review: My mom used to read these to me before I went to bed almost every night. I love the stories! They have good morals in them too. After a while, I started to read them out loud to myself and that got me into reading other stories. I think it's a wonderful book to read to your children. Or maybe, your child could read it to you?
Rating: 
Summary: Just so-so stories
Review: Rudyard Kipling's writing style is suited to a time in history when people were named "Rudyard." No parent would dream of naming a kid Rudyard nowadays because it's an old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy name. And these stories are old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy stories.
The prose harkens back to a time when old men told tales around pot-bellied stoves. There is a lot of repetition. There is a lot of repetition.
Kipling clearly was pleasing himself when he wrote these stories; you get a sense that he's reveling in his own cleverness. He comes off like an old blowhard uncle who makes you sit down and listen to his boring stories while you impatiently wait for him to finish so you can go outside and play. Instead, though, you end up wanting to take a nap because your uncle has bored you so.
I'm giving this three stars instead of two because my 5-year-old son likes these stories more than I do, mainly because they make him sleepy at bedtime. Better-written material, such as the Cat in the Hat, stimulates my son and keeps him awake.
So there you have it -- Just So Stories is a great collection of bedtime tales because they'll put your kids to sleep.
Rating:
Summary: Restrained enthusiasm.
Review: Since their publication a century ago in 1902, Kipling's "Just So Stories" have pleased children and adults alike. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, Kipling was a prolific writer for both adults and children, but the "Just So Stories" continues to be regarded as one of the favorites of Kipling's work. Unlike some of his other works, his imperialist political viewpoint is not evident, but it exhibits only his superb skill at amusing children by his writings. This is a collection of a dozen short stories which display his remarkable ability to enchant the reader - especially children - with the written word, and makes for excellent "bedtime" story reading for young children. It's not hard to see why so many readers speak of it with unrestrained enthusiasm. Yet as a Christian I could not wholeheartedly share the boundless devotion of most readers, and my own enthusiasm was more restrained. Kipling is evidently familiar with the Bible and the Christian faith, because he makes frequent allusions to Biblical concepts and history, such as Noah's ark. "The Butterfly that Stamped" even features king Solomon and the Queen of Sheba as two main characters. Although both of Kipling's grandfathers were Methodist preachers, he abandoned his family heritage, stating "Three generations of Wesleyan ministers ... lie behind me." Kipling' conscious departure from the Christian heritage is also evident in the "Just So Stories". Even in "The Butterfly that Stamped" he presents king Solomon and the Queen of Sheba as married, something not revealed in Scripture. Moreover, in many of his stories he presents an evolutionary approach to the creation of the world. "How the First Letter was Written" features a Neolithic Cave Man, and "The Cat that Walked by Himself" describes the "taming" of a wild man, wild dog, wild horse, wild cow, and wild cat. Judging charitably, it has to be admitted that many of his stories are presented as clearly absurd, nonsensical and fantastic. One could hardly maintain seriously that in stories like "How the Whale got his Throat" and "How the Camel got his Hump" Kipling is trying to present an alternate creation account. Nonetheless, Kipling does more than just present a fantastic creation account, but in the process is rather disrespectful and mocking of the real creation account, especially in "The Crab that Played with the Sea" which features an "Eldest Magician" making the world by a magic, and also "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo" which features three gods. But perhaps Kipling's true feelings toward the Bible are most clearly evident in "How the Leopard got his Spots", where he refers to grown-ups saying "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots?" - a direct quotation from Jeremiah 13:23! - and says "I don't think even grown-ups would keep on saying such a silly thing if the Leopard and the Ethiopian hadn't done it once - do you?" Here Kipling shows his true colours. No amount of charity can justify Kipling speaking of the Word of God as "a silly thing". It's unfortunate that the literary qualities of these stories are not matched by spiritual fervour. Christian parents will want to be selective in which stories they read to their children. Yet the literary qualities of these stories cannot be denied. They are probably best enjoyed when read aloud to children, and feature a charming, and warm style that is absolutely nonsensical and yet completely captivating. "How the Alphabet was Made" is perhaps one of the few exceptions - it is a creative concept, but is somewhat tedious and lacks the charm of the other stories. But nearly all the other stories are delightfully told and wonderfully enjoyable in their exaggerated nonsense. For instance, in "How the Whale got his Throat", Kipling introduces the reader to a man "sitting on a raft, in the middle of the sea, with nothing on but a pair of blue canvas breeches, a pair of suspenders." As in many of his stories, his use of repetition skilfully warms up a smile on your face. Throughout the story, he repeatedly and gently admonishes the reader "you must NOT forget the suspenders, Best Beloved", "Have you forgotten the suspenders?" It seems absurd, but in the end proves to make perfect sense, because it is the suspenders that the man used to tie his raft in the whale's mouth, and that's how the whale got his throat! Totally absurd, but frightfully funny! At the same time, Kipling uses his nonsensical style to convey fables about animals which satirize human values and vices. For instance, "How the Camel Got His Hump" is a satirical commentary on laziness and procrastination. This is the hallmark of Kipling's style in most of the stories, and it is this exemplary literary quality that has rightly gained this work the fame it deserves. This edition also reproduces Kipling's original pen and ink drawings, complete with his delightful commentary explaining the illustration. It's worth adding to your collection, because all readers will find something here that they can enjoy. Even those of us with restrained enthusiasm like me, can not help speak of the "Just So Stories" with much enthusiasm! They are more than Just So-So.
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Summary: Elephant's child in particular
Review: This book is the most valued in my family history. Now my children are asking after it to read to their children because of all of the beloved memories it brings back. The language is a delight. The way Kipling draws the reader and listener in to feel they are part of the story, it is story telling magic at its very best. I can't believe anyone who has this book in their home, once read, will ever be without it. As long as children and that child in all adults long for the gifted story teller's magic, this book is special.
Rating:
Summary: Elephant's child in particular
Review: This book is the most valued in my family history. Now my children are asking after it to read to their children because of all of the beloved memories it brings back. The language is a delight. The way Kipling draws the reader and listener in to feel they are part of the story, it is story telling magic at its very best. I can't believe anyone who has this book in their home, once read, will ever be without it. As long as children and that child in all adults long for the gifted story teller's magic, this book is special.
Rating:
Summary: Just So Stories
Review: This book lacks substance and the qualities that make a read worth the while, especially since it's for children who may not read that much in the first place. You'd be MUCH better off with something like The Wind in the Willows, or the Berenstain Bear.
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