Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

"The Stranger-man (and he was a Tewara) thought, 'This is a very,very, very wonderful child. The shark's tooth on my necklace is a magic shark's tooth, and I was always told that if anybody touched it without my leave they would immediately swell up or burst, but this child doesn't swell up or burst, and that important Chief, Man-who-attends-strictly-to-his-business, who has not yet taken any notice of me at all, doesn't seem to be afraid that she will swell up or burst. I had better be more polite.'"

This is a collection of children's stories. It is one of my favorite children's books, both because of the gorgeous writing that begs to be read aloud, and for its illustrations, done by Barry Moser.

One of the best things about this book, is the way all the stories tie in so well with the real world. As a child, I thought the explanations of how things began were plausible.

My favorite stories:

How the Camel got his Hump:

The camel didn't want to work, and when he was asked he only said, "Humph". Until a Dijin gives him a hump and sentences him to work three times harder than all the other animals.

The Elephant's Child:

The Elephant's Child was filled with 'satiable curiosity about the crocodile, but no one will tell him what the crocodile has for dinner. So, he journeys down to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever trees to see for himself.

How the first letter was written:

Taffy and her father go fishing, and Taffy's daddy breaks his spear. So, when Taffy meets a Stranger-man, (who was a Tewara) she sends him after he daddy's great black handled-spear, and causing a mild catastrophe for the tribe of Tegumai. (And for the stranger-man who is sat upon by the Neolithic ladies in a long line of six.)

The Butterfly that Stamped:

Mr. Butterfly is trying to make his wife listen to him and tells her that he is to be feared, as with one stamp he could make all of Suleiman-bin-Daoud's palace disappear. When Suleiman hears this, he calls the Dijins to make his place disappear when the butterfly stamps, and they both teach their wives a lesson.

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

This might be the best book I've read all year. Kids can read it, sure. I probably would have loved it when I was little, but I think I would have missed out on all the undertones that Kipling pours into every story.

First you should know that Rudyard Kipling was born and raised in India, studied in England and lived his married life in Vermont. He sounds like a pretty rugged guy, maybe on par with Bear Grylls. So he knows what he's talking about when it comes to lions and elephants and the rest of the bunch.

Secondly, I have to say that Mowgli is a bad ass. I mean he hangs out with wolves all day and then kills Shere Kahn with his bare hands. Hardcore. I want to be him.

There's more to The Jungle Books than action. These are stories about a deep-rooted disenchantment with the modern world. In one story, "Letting in the Jungle," Mowgli becomes upset with a small Indian village that's been encroaching on the forest, so with the help of Hathi the elephant, they topple every building in the town. There's sticking it to the man for ya. Mowgli 1, Urban Sprawl 0. This theme pops up in almost every story.

Kipling also creates an order within Jungle life. It's a natural order, not one fabricated with plastic by men in ties. In the jungle hierarchy, humans are pretty far down - again, dissatisfaction with modern living - but Mowgli spans the gap. He's more than just an action adventure star. He's the model citizen, that which we should emulate.

There are some other jewels here other than the Mowgli stories. "Rikki Tikki Tavi" is excellent. If you never read this when you were little, it's not too late. If you did read it, I think it merits a second look.