✦One playful tale from the classic collection
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Read: How the Camel Got His Hump — a newly worded version of Kipling’s imaginary animal tale.
A story to read together
How the Camel Got His Hump
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
In Kipling’s imaginary beginning of the world, a camel lives in the desert and refuses to help with any work. His only answer to requests is a grumpy humph.
Three requests
The horse asks him to trot, the dog asks him to carry, and the ox asks him to plough. Each receives the same answer. The camel keeps chewing and does nothing.
More work for others
The three animals must work extra because the camel will not join them. They complain to the Djinn of the deserts, a magical being who decides to investigate.
A surprising hump
The Djinn finds the camel admiring his reflection in a pool. Another humph brings a magical change: a large hump rises on his back. The camel wonders how he can work now.
Joining the others
The Djinn says the hump will sustain him through the three days he missed. The camel goes to join the other animals. In this tale, his new shape remains a reminder of his refusal.
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
What do the three animals ask the camel to do?
How does his refusal affect the others?
What fair task could you offer to do in a group?
Make something: Invent an imaginary explanation for an animal’s feature in three pictures. Label it “make-believe,” then ask an adult to help find a factual explanation.
