This book contains the following story:
The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo
"The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo" is a humorous and imaginative poem by Rudyard Kipling, part of his collection "Just So Stories," published in 1902. This poem tells the story of how the kangaroo got its distinctive hopping legs. Here's a plot summary of "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo":
The poem begins by introducing Old Man Kangaroo, who was once a creature with short legs. He is depicted as a jolly and carefree character who loves to dance and sing. Old Man Kangaroo enjoys attending the local dances and parties in the Australian bush.
One day, as Old Man Kangaroo is dancing at a party, he begins to feel self-conscious about his short legs. He feels that they are not as impressive as the legs of other animals, such as the dingo. He becomes envious of the dingo's long, slender legs.
Determined to have legs as long and graceful as the dingo's, Old Man Kangaroo decides to seek the help of the Djinn, who are supernatural beings capable of granting wishes. He travels to the Djinn's cave, where he finds them sitting by a campfire.
Old Man Kangaroo politely asks the Djinn to grant his wish for long, slender legs. The Djinn, who are in a mischievous mood, decide to grant his wish but do so in a comical and absurd manner.
The Djinn take Old Man Kangaroo's legs and stretch them out, making them incredibly long. They keep stretching his legs until they are absurdly long, like giant stilts. Old Man Kangaroo, with his comically elongated legs, tries to dance and move around, but he finds it impossible to maintain his balance.
As a result, Old Man Kangaroo begins to hop instead of walk. The poem humorously describes how Old Man Kangaroo hops away, with his legs bouncing and flapping wildly. His hopping motion becomes iconic, and he is known for it ever since.
The poem concludes by emphasizing that Old Man Kangaroo's hopping is the reason kangaroos continue to hop to this day. It's a lighthearted and playful explanation for the kangaroo's distinctive method of movement, with Kipling's characteristic wit and imagination on full display.
