Inspired by Kipling's natural empathy with the animal world and by his obvious delight in human foibles and eccentricities, these strikingly imaginative fables explore a range of subjects from the animals themselves to the origins of things. The stories are linked by poems and scattered throughout are Kipling's illustrations, which, intriguingly, contain hidden jokes and puzzles.

Just So Storieswas written for children, but the book transcends the boundaries of age and is of equal appeal to adults.