In the yellow hues of the African plains, hunting was easy for the leopard, whose light coat served as camouflage. When all the animals moved away, the hungry leopard had to follow them to the striped, splotchy, spotted forest. But he didn't stand a chance of survival unless, of course, he acquired spots himself.

This playful tale, in which a Parsee man seeks revenge on the nasty piggish rhino, is among the best known of Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories.

Take a rollicking ride through the Wild, Wild West with the original cowboy, Pecos Bill. Raised by coyotes to brave the great frontier, Pecos rides his wild mustang Widow-Maker and invents the first rough-and-tumble cattle drive. Then he mounts a runaway cyclone like a buckin' bronco to create the Great Salt Lake.

Just So Stories is a collection of contemporary children's stories by Rudyard Kipling. Many of the stories are fictitious explanations for natural occurrences, including the stories How the Whale Got His Throat and How the Camel Got His Hump. These stories will keep children entertained for hours.

Have you ever wondered how and why the animals came to be as they are? In these magical tales, drawn from stories he heard as a child in India as well as on folk traditions he later collected all over the world, Rudyard Kipling gives some wonderfully imaginative explanations.

Actress Glenn Close narrates this story, accompanied by original music by Mark Isham. The Emperor and his court in ancient China discover a little grey bird with an enchanting song. But when the Emperor is presented with a jewel-encrusted, artificial singing bird, he banishes the nightingale from his court. Years later, he realizes that the song of the real nightingale is the true treasure.

Here are two hilarious Jamaican folktales about the original story spinner himself, both read by Denzel Washington. Anansi the spider is teeny-teeny, but his boasts are as tall as tales get. In the first story, Anansi takes Tiger's challenge and outwits the prideful snake to win possession of all the stories in the jungle. In the second story, Anansi devises a scheme to appear important at his mother-in-law's funeral but gets caught in his own lies and winds up as bald as a mango.

"When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become real." First published in 1922, Margery Williams' enchanting story about a toy rabbit is a classic of children's literature. This gentle rendition comes alive through Meryl Streep's soothing narration and George Winston's beautiful music score. Ages four and up.

A young mongoose protects his human family from two murderous cobras. English Nobel laureate Kipling's best story from The Jungle Book collection, "Rikki Tikki Tavi" has been adapted many times to film and television.

Big as a mountain and stronger than a grizzly bear, Paul Bunyan was the greatest lumberjack ever to swagger through the North American forests. All the larger-than-life characters in Paul's supporting cast are here, including Babe the Blue Ox, eating her ton of grain a day, and Hotbiscuit Sally, with her acre-and-a-half griddle. The outrageous adventures of this quintessential American hero represent the very best in the proud tradition of American storytelling.

Your entire family will enjoy the inspiring story of David, a young shepherd boy armed only with a slingshot - and the power of faith - who miraculously saves his people from the Philistine giant Goliath. The Philistine champion is unlike anything the Israelite soldiers have ever seen. When David sees the Israelites' fearfulness, he is angered. "Who is that Philistine that he dare defy the armies of the Lord God?" he asks the trembling soldiers.

In this hilarious southern folktale, mean old Boss Lion threatens the peaceful folk of Brer Village, and Brer Rabbit is forced to teach the carnivorous trouble-maker a lesson he'll never forget. Brer Rabbit outsmarts the baddest fella in the forest, then saunters back to town as the local hero. Actor Danny Glover narrates this witty, playful adaptation, perfectly complemented by gritty bayou blues by Dr. John. It is just the kind of fun your family will enjoy again and again.

Come with us to an Enchanted Place, a forest where Winnie-the-Pooh lived with Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Eeyore, Kanga, and Little Roo. The stories are about Christopher Robin and these good companions having wonderful times getting in and out of trouble. It is all very exciting and, really, quite thrilling no matter how young or old you may be. It is painful to try and imagine what the world would be like without them.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, before they finally return home.

Anjelica Huston narrates this haunting early American tale from Washington Irving following the likable but lazy Rip Van Winkle into the mysterious Catskill Mountains. There he meets a band of odd fellows playing a game of ninepins. After sharing a flagon of strange brew, Rip falls into a deep sleep for 20 years. When he wakes up, he finds that his home is a very different place indeed. This story is a wonderful reminder about making the most of your life.