Beginning of the Armadillos

A tortoise and a hedgehog combine their natural assets and transform themselves into armadillos to escape the hungry attention of a young jaguar.

Grade 2-4 Here, O Best Beloved, is one of Kipling's lesser-known Just-So stories, newly illustrated with gentle humor. Soft pastels alternate with black and white to portray the story of the Painted Jaguar who wants to eat the Tortoise and the Hedgehog. But, until he can distinguish one from the other, he doesn't know how to begin to eat either. The two escape but know they can't fool the Jaguar or his mother a second time, so the Tortoise teaches the Hedgehog to swim and the Hedgehog, by unlacing the Tortoise's back plates, teaches his friend to coil. The two have adapted themselves into a completely new, rolling, scaly creature. The Jaguar now worries about what it is, but his sensible mother says he should call it "Armadillo" and leave it alone. Charles Keeping's handsomely illustrated version (Bedrick, 1983) uses strong blues and greens, highly patterned shapes and bold design to render this jungle tale. Cauley's version features nearly twice the number of illustrations, which makes the action plain to young readers. At the same time, her anthropomorphized animals reflect well Kipling's gentle mocking of the bouncy Jaguar and provide a warmth which the Keeping version lacks. Susan Hepler, formerly at Ohio State University, Columbus
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