Just So Stories · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.
Chapter 1
How the Whale Got His Throat
A whale eats all the fish in the sea except a small 'Stute Fish, who tricks the whale into swallowing a shipwrecked Mariner. The resourceful Mariner, inside the whale, causes such a disturbance that the whale agrees to take him home. Before leaving, the Mariner constructs a grating from his raft and suspenders, lodging it in the whale's throat to prevent him from eating large creatures ever again.
Chapter 2
How the Camel Got His Hump
In the beginning of years, the Camel lived in the middle of a Howling Desert, refusing to work and only saying 'Humph!' When the Horse, Dog, and Ox tried to enlist his help, he refused each time, forcing them to work double. The Djinn in charge of All Deserts confronted the Camel and, after the Camel said 'Humph!' once too often, caused a great hump to grow on his back. The Djinn explained that the hump would allow the Camel to work for three days without eating, making up for the three days he had missed. The Camel then joined the others, but has never caught up on the lost time or learned to behave properly.
Chapter 3
How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin
A Parsee living on an uninhabited island in the Red Sea bakes a large cake, but a rude Rhinoceros steals and eats it. Later, when the Rhinoceros sheds his skin to bathe, the Parsee fills it with stale cake-crumbs. When the Rhinoceros puts the skin back on, the crumbs cause unbearable itching, and his frantic scratching creates permanent folds in his skin, explaining why rhinoceroses have wrinkled skin and bad tempers.
Chapter 4
How the Leopard Got His Spots
The Leopard and the Ethiopian find that the Giraffe and Zebra have adapted to the forest by developing spots and stripes, making them invisible. After failing to hunt them, the Ethiopian changes his skin to black and gives the Leopard spots, allowing them to blend into their environment and hunt successfully.
Chapter 5
The Elephant's Child
The Elephant's Child, driven by insatiable curiosity, travels to the Limpopo River to discover what the Crocodile eats. After being spanked by various animals for asking questions, he meets the Crocodile, who seizes his nose and pulls it into a trunk. With help from the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, the Elephant's Child escapes with a long trunk, which he then uses to spank his family and teach them the value of curiosity.
Chapter 6
The Singsong of Old Man Kangaroo
Old Man Kangaroo, proud and dissatisfied with his appearance, asks three gods to make him different and popular. The first two gods dismiss him, but the third, Nqong, sets Dingo to chase him. The relentless pursuit forces Kangaroo to hop, stretching his legs and transforming him into the modern kangaroo. By five o'clock, Kangaroo is changed but regrets the ordeal, while Dingo is left hungry.
Chapter 7
The Beginning of the Armadillos
In the High and Far-Off Times, Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog and Slow-Solid Tortoise live on the banks of the turbid Amazon. Painted Jaguar, following his mother's advice, tries to eat them but is confused by their clever wordplay. After a series of tricks, the Hedgehog and Tortoise adapt by learning to swim and curl, respectively, transforming into a new creature called the Armadillo. The Jaguar's mother advises him to leave them alone, and from then on, they are known as Armadillos.
Chapter 8
How the First Letter Was Written
Taffy, the daughter of Tegumai Bopsulai, attempts to send a message to her mother via a Stranger-man by drawing a picture on birch-bark. The picture is misinterpreted by Teshumai Tewindrow, who believes it depicts an attack on Tegumai, leading to the Stranger-man being captured and the entire Tribe of Tegumai being summoned. The misunderstanding is resolved when they find Taffy and Tegumai safe, and the event is recognized as the invention of picture-writing, which later evolves into the alphabet.
Chapter 9
How the Alphabet Was Made
Taffy and her father Tegumai invent the first alphabet by creating picture-symbols for sounds, starting with a carp-fish mouth for 'ah' and a carp tail for 'yer', then adding symbols for 'oh', 'ssh', and others. They combine these to form words like 'yo' (bad water) and 'shu-ya' (rain), realizing they have discovered a revolutionary way to communicate without speaking.
Chapter 10
The Crab That Played with the Sea
In the time of the Very Beginnings, the Eldest Magician sets the Earth and Sea in order and assigns each animal its role. The Man, with his little girl-daughter, demands that all animals obey him, but Pau Amma the Crab sneaks away to play alone in the deep waters. When the tides cause chaos, the Eldest Magician confronts Pau Amma, strips him of his hard shell, and ultimately establishes the tides by commanding the Moon to pull the sea twice daily. Pau Amma's descendants are allowed safe hiding places but must shed their shells yearly as a reminder.
Chapter 11
The Cat That Walked by Himself
The chapter tells how the Cat, the wildest of all animals, chooses to remain independent while other wild animals like the Dog, Horse, and Cow become domesticated by the Woman. The Cat makes a bargain with the Woman to gain entry to the Cave, fire, and milk only if she praises him, and eventually wins her praise by playing with the Baby.
Chapter 12
The Butterfly That Stamped
Suleiman-bin-Daoud, the wise king who understands all languages, is troubled by his 999 quarrelsome wives. While seeking peace in his garden, he overhears a tiny butterfly boasting to his wife that he can make the entire palace vanish with a stamp. Amused, Suleiman-bin-Daoud plays along, and with the help of Balkis, orchestrates a lesson that humbles both the butterfly's wife and his own queens, teaching the value of humility and quiet obedience.
Chapter 13
List of Illustrations
This chapter provides a descriptive list of illustrations that accompany the stories in the book, each caption hinting at key scenes and characters from the tales.
