Monica, my kids and I LOVE the Just So Stories! However, I am very, very clear to make sure I explain to them that they are just funny stories that were made up to explain some things. I make sure my kids know how the animals around us REALLY got that way first. If it means waiting a year or two to read them to make sure they are solid on that first, THEN they are extremely fun and entertaining “stories” We sometimes have “just-so contests” and try to make up our own. I think it can give kids some real insight into how some of the strange “false stories” came to be–in a roundabout way, I think Just-So Stories is a good “precursor” to read before tackling things like Greek mythology. My kids saw the parallels right away. Fun to be reading along in a mythology book and have a kid exclaim “Hey, this is just like a Just-So story!” 🙂
I heartily recommend the books. However, if your kids aren’t ready yet and you worry about confusing them, then spend some time on the REAL story and then revisit the Just-So Stories later if you like.
Michelle
