Purple bandReady now · Open and print today

How the Camel Got His Hump

A fable from Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

This fable comes from Just So Stories, written by Rudyard Kipling and first published in 1902. Kipling invented playful explanations for how animals came to look the way they do. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. The story teaches that everyone must do their share of the work, and that laziness has consequences. Kipling's rhythmic, repetitive language makes this tale easy to remember and fun to read aloud.

Band

Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5

Length

short · about 324 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Just so stories, Rudyard Kipling

First published

1902

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (6 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Colouring page
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

Report a concern about this reader · What’s in a HummingRead reader