Just So Stories (1902)

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Kipling-Histoires-comme-ca/921972
> Bouquineux : http://www.bouquineux.com/?telecharger=2176&Kipling-Histoires_comme_%C3%A7a
> Gallica : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62857530
> Gallica : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9739672p
> Critiques Libres : http://www.critiqueslibres.com/i.php/vcrit/18974
> Biblioblog : https://www.biblioblog.fr/post/2006/10/25/362-les-histoires-comme-ca-rudyard-kip...
> Paperblog : https://www.paperblog.fr/2003562/histoires-comme-ca/
> Cairn…info : https://www.cairn.info/revue-humanisme-2009-1-page-122.htm

> HISTOIRES COMME ÇA, de Rudyard Kipling. — Une nouvelle édition, une nouvelle traduction, elles sont bien servies, ces Histoires comme ça de Kipling qu'on relit toujours avec le même plaisir. Il faut dire que ce gros volume de 350 pages a tout pour devenir un classique de la bibliothèque enfantine: les douze histoires y figurent dans leur version originale, et les gravures sur bois de May Angeli les illustrent avec une fraîcheur, des textures, une circulation du trait qui n'ont rien à envier à des méthodes plus «maniables». Les couleurs de ce Sud que l'artiste affectionne éclatent ici en un festival d'impressions […]
[…] comme intemporelles. Un très beau travail... Illustr. de May Angeli. Le Sorbier. Dès 9 ans. Env. 58 fr. (Sylvie N.)
--Publié 6 déc. 2008, (Sur Le Temps.ch)

Slightly dated especially in one story which uses some racist language. However overall really delightful kid stories explaining the origin of things, like the rhino's skin and the alphabet, but in the most insane and fantastical way.
Great rhythm, strange but very good use of language, comes with pictures and bits of poetry, its really very good. ( )

A short, fun read of the book I've been thinking about since I read [b:The Jungle Book|77270|The Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873594s/77270.jpg|17441265]. My parents read these to me when I was young, and I read them again when I was old enough. I was quite surprised by how many big and not-quite-correctly used words there were, considering that I read this long enough ago that I don't remember how old I was at the time (I'm usually good at remembering that sort of thing).

Surprise, surprise, my favorite story was The Cat that Walked by Himself, one I remembered best from my past reads. Also fun were The Beginning of Armadillos and the Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo. I did discover where my expectation of overt racism in The Jungle Book came from ("Malazy", really?), and while I can't say that was a happy surprise, I have always liked animal origin myths.

While this book is physically beautiful--gorgeous illustrations in black and white with the occasional glossy page insert, nice thick pages--I was surprised at how sloppy the interior was. Words were missing letters, some had been broken by syllable in order to break onto the next line but they fit on a whole line even with the dash in the middle. I've noticed similar things in a few prettified editions, like the most recent version of Neil Gaiman's [b:Neverwhere|14497|Neverwhere|Neil Gaiman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348747943s/14497.jpg|16534]. Seems like the complete opposite of what you'd want to do with a decorative edition, and yet...

Anyway, pretty book with fun stories when taken with a teaspoon of salt. ( )

Audiobook version was splendid. ( )

Contents (* indicates stories that are in "Favorite Just So Stories"): *How the Whale got his Throat; *How the Camel got his Hump; *How the Rhinoceros got his Skin; *How the Leopard got his Spots; *The Elephant's Child; *The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo; *The Beginning of the Armadilloes (sic); How the First Letter was Written; How the Alphabet was Made; The Crab that Played with the Sea; The Cat that Walked by Himself; The Butterfly that Stamped.

Publishers Note to the 1978 Edition: The language and references are those of Kipling; though they are no longer in vogue, they are of historical interest and literary note. ( )