Inspired by the bedtime stories Rudyard Kipling told his daughter that had to be recited ‘just so’, this collection includes mythical animal origin stories like ‘How the Camel got his Hump’ and ‘How the Rhinoceros got his Skin’, alongside other playful inventions, such as the reason for the ebb and flow of the tides and how the alphabet was invented.

These rhythmically told, traditional stories appeal to the curious imagination of children, and are some of Rudyard Kipling’s best-known works alongside The Jungle Book.