Presents eight illustrated selections from Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories, " which provide fanciful explanations for such mysteries as how the camel got its hump, how the rhinoceros got his skin, and the origin of armadillos.

How the whale got his throat / illustrated by Peter Sís -- How the camel got his hump / illustrated by Clare Melinsky -- How the rhinoceros got his skin / illustrated by Christopher Corr -- How the leopard got his spots / illustrated by Cathie Felstead -- The elephant's child / illustrated by Louise Voce -- The sing-song of Old Man Kangaroo / illustrated by Jeff Fisher -- The beginning of the armadillos / illustrated by Jane Ray -- The cat that walked by himself / illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura.