Just So Stories Series, in Four Volumes: How the Camel Got His Hump; How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin; How the Leopard Got His Spots; The Elephant's Chil

Color and black-and-white illustrations by Feodor Rojankovsky. ...pride and arrogance prove to be the downfall of a lazy camel. There was once a Parsee living on an uninhabited island in the Red Sea, with a shiny hat, a knife and a cooking-stove. One day he mixed a fruit cake and put it in the stove to bake. When it was done, a Rhinoceros with a smooth, tightly-fitting skin came along, upset the stove and ate the cake, while the Parsee took refuge up a tree... In the yellow hues of the African plains, hunting was easy for the leopard, whose light coat served as camouflage. When all the animals moved away, the hungry leopard had to follow them to the striped, splotchy, spotted forest. But he didn't stand a chance of survival unless, of course, he acquired spots himself. The tale of how the elephant got its trunk is one of the most beloved of the Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling wrote for children. The insatiably curious elephant's child peppers every animal he meets with questions about the mysterious crocodile who lives on the banks of the Lompopo River. When he finally meets the crocodile, he nearly becomes dinner. This rollicking story and Jonas's Laustroer's vibrant art have the makings of a modern classic.