Well, it's back to the cradle with this one. I have fond memories of my first year of schooling. Mrs W., my teacher, read one of the Kipling stories to my class every week until the book was finished. I have a vivid recollection of the images my mind conjured up as she read "How the Whale Got His Throat". It really was a magical time in my life, when I was so open to the wonders of the world and so eager for stories. If I had to point to the origins of my love of reading, I think the pairing of Mrs W. and Just So Stories would be near the top of the list.
I was a bit worried about revisiting this book. Would I be spoiling precious childhood memories by viewing the book with my now adult and, possibly, jaundiced mind? I need not have worried. Re-reading Just So Stories brought back a sense of the thrill of being told a tale.
Just So Stories is a collection of 'origin stories'. Kipling steered clear of explaining the origins of the more obvious things, like the sun and the moon or thunder and lightning. Instead, he concentrated on more whimsical topics such as camel humps, leopard spots and elephant trunks, giving each of his explanations a highly inventive twist. The Just So Stories are populated with talking animals, gods and highly unusual humans, yet Kipling is able to keep the reader engaged in their hijinks in such an intriguing, riddling and charming way that the suspension of disbelief is never a trial on the reader's part. And each tale is brimming with adventure and good humour. The book is also liberally sprinkled with illustrations by the author.
If you have never read these delightful tales, and if your inner-child is still alive and well, then you could worse than to read this book.
Just So Stories was first published in 1902. I read an e-book version. Review.
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