How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck: A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya

Written by: Verna Aardema and Marcia Brown

First line: Long long ago, when the earth was set down and the sky was lifted up, the ostrich had a short neck.

Why you should read this book: I wonder if Rudyard Kipling cribbed his story about the Elephant's child from this piece about a crocodile with a toothache and an ostrich who tries to help despite being warned not to by an eagle who had successfully warned numerous other creatures away from the same fate suffered by the empathetic ostrich. I mean, does the crocodile really even have a toothache, or is that a ploy to get animals to jump into its mouth? A nice example of a pourquoi story and a fun read for little kids.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't think there's anything humorous about amateur dentistry.