The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling | 1894 | HarperCollins | Hardcover $ 25.99
Mowgli’s days are filled with danger, wonder, and excitement. He learns the ways of the jungle from the wise old bear, Baloo, and the great black panther, Bagheera. He is befriended by the faithful wolf, Gray Brother, and is carried off by the crafty Monkey-People — only to be rescued by the mighty python, Kaa. And through it all, Mowgli knows that he must someday face his sworn enemy: the ferocious man-hating tiger, Shere Khan. Presented here in the author’s preferred order are all of Kipling’s thrilling Mowgli stories, as well as the beloved tale of the brave mongoose, Rikki-tikki-tavi.
I opted to put this title on my to-read list because I had fond memories of reading another book by Rudyard Kipling — Just So Stories, a collection of animal-focused short stories for children. I also at some point in childhood had acquired a copy of The Jungle Book, but had no real memory of it other than being fascinated by the illustrations. My general idea of the story decades later was entirely based on the mid-century animated movie adaptation from Disney.
Like Just So Stories, The Jungle Book is charming and easily captures the imagination of the reader. However, I think it also has a bit more depth or perhaps even a kind of darkness to it, which may be a function of it being the story of a person growing up in an complicated tangle of wild nature and human society rather than just a collection of fun bedtime tales… or it may just be a function of me reading it as an adult with at least a little more awareness of underlying themes.
I also realize now why the illustrations stuck in my memory, if nothing else about the book did after all these years — that’s because they’re so engaging. Jerry Pinkney provided the pictures for this edition, which look to me like watercolor or perhaps ink + paint works. My favorites are the illustrations of “Kaa, the big rock python”, “Hathi lifted up his trunk and spoke”, and “The moon was sinking behind the hills”.
I can’t say this book would be at the top of my list to hand to a twenty-first-century kiddo to read, but it’s easy to see why this book has stood the test of time as a classic, even as children’s literature; the story proceeds at a good pace among beautifully described scenery and with just the right amount of danger for spice, while reinforcing a few timeless moral values like self-sufficiency and bravery against bullying.
Links:
- Biography of author from the Nobel Prize
- Archives of Rudyard Kipling from The Keep + the University of Sussex Special Collections
- Biography of the illustrator from the Normal Rockwell Museum
- Website of Jerry Pinkney
Publication information: Kipling, Rudyard. The jungle book. New York City, NY: HarperCollins, 1995. Print.
Source: Personal library.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
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