The Just When? Stories

is a collection of fables for children about animals in Kipling’s Just-So tradition, but these stories are not only passionate celebrations of the genesis of animals, they aim to help living animals too. All profits from sales of THE JUST WHEN? STORIES go to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Wildaid both of which do their utmost to make sure the next generation of children will not witness the last generation of these extraordinary creatures.

I contributed a story called ZUSHKAALI and the ELEPHANT which tells how elephants discovered feelings. Elephants can express joy and anger, and they stay with their dead and grieve for them. (This story comes from my collection of original creation myths, some of which have been published in the children’s magazines, CRICKET, SPIDER and THE SCHOOL MAGAZINE and used in the US equivalent of the UK’s Key Stage 2 literacy exams by American Institutes for Research as a model for academic excellence. The stories are all available for UK publication.)

Unfortunately THE JUST WHEN? STORIES have also been a casualty of the demise of Beautiful Books, so secondhand copies are the only way to find copies now.