Take a step back into the High and Far-Off Time and uncover everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and ingenious, these humorous tales of elephants and whales and cats and crabs are enormous fun.
How did the camel get his hump? Why won't cats do as they are told? Who invented reading and writing? How did an inquisitive little elephant change the lives of elephants everywhere? Kipling's imagined answers to such questions draw on the beast fables he heard as a child in India, as well as on folk games with language, exploring the relationships between thought, speech, and the written word. He also celebrates his own joy in fatherhood. The tales were told to his own and his friends' children over many years before he wrote them down, adding poems and his own illustrations. They invite older and younger readers to share a magical experience, each contributing to the other's pleasure, but each can also enjoy them alone, as more jokes, subtexts, and exotic references emerge with every reading. This fully illustrated edition includes two extra stories and Kipling's own explanation of the title.
Paperback
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Summary
Take a step back into the High and Far-Off Time and uncover everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and ingenious, these humorous tales of elephants and whales and cats and crabs are enormous fun.
How did the camel get his hump? Why won't cats do as they are told? Who invented reading and writing? How did an inquisitive little elephant change the lives of elephants everywhere? Kipling's imagined answers to such questions draw on the beast fables he heard as a child in India, as well as on folk games with language, exploring the relationships between thought, speech, and the written word. He also celebrates his own joy in fatherhood. The tales were told to his own and his friends' children over many years before he wrote them down, adding poems and his own illustrations. They invite older and younger readers to share a magical experience, each contributing to the other's pleasure, but each can also enjoy them alone, as more jokes, subtexts, and exotic references emerge with every reading. This fully illustrated edition includes two extra stories and Kipling's own explanation of the title.
Description
Puffin Classics bring together the best-loved classics to a new generation.The delightful tales of whales and cats and kangaroos and crabs - everything from how the camel got in a humph (and got his hump!) to how the alphabet was invented. Enchanting and funny, these fantastical stories continue to delight each and every generation.With an inspiring introduction by Jonathan Stroud, author of the 'Bartimaeus' trilogy, and including fun-filled endnotes.
About the Author
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was born in India, although educated in England. He was a prolific writer and recognized as a genius. In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His many books for children include The Jungle Book and Kim.
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