The perfect gift for a curious mind. Share your beloved childhood stories with the next generation!

A series of incredible tales from master storyteller Rudyard Kipling. How did the whale get his throat? Why was the lazy camel lumbered with a hump? And how did the elephant's insatiable curiosity earn him a trunk?

Kipling first invented these delightful, warm and humorous stories about the beginning of the world and the first animals in it for his own daughter, Josephine.

Conjuring up distant lands and exotic jungles, the imaginative tales are bewitching for both children and adults. This edition brings together the complete and unabridged text (including the thirteenth story, The Tabu Tale, which is often excluded from modern publications).

Award-winning artist Robert Ingpen has interpreted and enriched the stories with stunning illustrations that bring an unforgettable cast of extraordinary animal characters to life. A full-colour illustrated edition of one of the world's best loved stories. 'Ingpen's drawings are utterly compelling' – Michael Morpurgo