Hello, I'm Richard Nicholas Nimz, prospector of the written word. It's a sad truism in library science that short stories and poetry don't circulate very well. If I were to guess at the problem based on my own experiences, it's because most readers aren't used to reading them, so they shy away.
Kipling, R. (2002). Just So Stories. New American Library: New York.
Summary: This is a collection of short stories describing how various things came into being. As follows:
"How the Whale Got His Throat": There once was a whale that ate everything in the sea. Finally, it came upon a suspenders-wearing sailor in a raft and ate him, too. But the sailor with suspenders has a plan to come out of this on top.
"How the Camel Got His Hump": In the beginning of the world, all of the animals were domesticated, save one. The camel just went off into the desert to humph instead of anything resembling an honest day's work. Thus, the Djinn of all Deserts is called upon to bring the camel back in line, and his solution is quite the creative one.
"How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin": Once, the rhinoceros had smooth skin. He was also a tremendous jerk, stealing a cake from a man right after he'd finished baking it. The man vowed revenge, and his vengeance would change his foe for all time.
"How the Leopard Got His Spots": Up on the steppe, the animals have grown tired of being hunted by the man and the leopard. Thus they decide one day to leave for the forests. Worried about finding food, the leopard and the man follow them, but the animals have discovered how to hide themselves in their new home. Will the quarry evade the hunt, or can the leopard change his spots?
"The Elephant's Child": Once, there was an elephant child whose curiosity was rewarded with spankings. Thus, when he wondered what a crocodile was, the child decided to venture out in the world to find one. Will his adventure lead to more than he bargained for?
"The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo": Long ago in Australia, the kangaroo wanted to be different. Thus, he pestered the spirits of the land until he found one that acquiesced to his demand. However, the kangaroo might not like the spirit's methods.
"The Beginning of the Armadillos": The jaguar has learned how to deal with any prey. However, the turtle and the hedgehog manage to trick him into sparing their lives. They know, though, that such a trick will not work again, so they try to find a way to overcome their weaknesses. Their solution, however, leads to something much more creative.
"How the First Letter Was Written": Long ago, at the dawn of man, a man and his daughter went out to fish. Unfortunately, the man's spear breaks, and his replacement is many miles away. When a man from another tribe wanders by, though, his daughter draws up a message. It might not be the clearest, though.
"How the Alphabet Was Made": After the last story, the daughter decides to mark out an alphabet to avoid any more misunderstandings. Inspired by what she sees around her, she begins creating letters. Her father joins in with her and together they create the alphabet.
"The Crab That Played with the Sea": In the beginning, the Creator assigned each animal a role to play. Before he could be assigned his role, though, the Crab ran away to do as he pleased. Not long later, the sea rose and fell, creating both drought and flood. Now the Creator must contend with the chaos the Crab has caused, but how can he undo it?
"The Cat That Walked by Himself": In the days of early man, the animals became curious as to what Man and his wife was doing. First, the dog left, then the horse, then the cow. None of them returned, all agreed to serve the humans. Finally, the cat, who knows no other master but himself, went to see what was going on. Will he be domesticated? Will the humans even want him?
"The Butterfly That Stamped": Solomon, though commanding the mighty djinn, was too humble even to calm his 999 tempestuous wives. One day, though, he agrees to help a butterfly who is arguing with his own wife. Soloman's one gentle wife, though, decides to help the butterfly's wife. Who will emerge victorious?
Thoughts: Quite entertaining, although values dissonance is in effect here. "The Butterfly That Stamped" has men needing to be over their wives. Some versions of "How the Leopard Got His Spots" have the words 'nigger' and 'Sambo' used in them. The alphabet the (African) girl creates in "How the Alphabet Was Made" is the Latin alphabet, which Kipling claims was the first alphabet rediscovered. In addition, some of the depictions of non-white persons are going to be offensive to said minorities, and the others probably will be as well.
However, if you look past that, the stories are gloriously creative. Each of these are creation stories in some way, and I don't want to give anything away. My personal favorite line in the book is the ending to the first story, wherein the suspenders' true purpose is revealed. In addition, while their depictions aren't the most flattering, they are relatively inoffensive and feel like your average myth protagonist (at least to my white perception; non-white people will find tropes and traits that they've grown sick of). In fact, they're almost the only kind of people there, and they always come out either on top or alright in the end without white assistance. This is the same man who wrote "The White Man's Burden", after all; not right, but ahead of his peers. Actually, it actually wouldn't surprise me if he had a goal to gain some form of respect for the people the British Empire was trying to force its ideals on while writing this book. He thought said people were backwards, yes, but also wanted to treat them with some form of dignity. If you're going to read this to kids, you should read through it yourself first and clean it up as you see fit. However, I do feel that kids should get to experience at least some version of this level of sheer, creative, crazy awesomeness. That part of this book, the part with is undeniably good for them.
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