The Kipling Reader Selections from the Books of Rudyard Kipling

Two unforgettable jungle guardians take center stage in these classic tales of survival, belonging, and courage. A fearless young mongoose named Rikki-tikki-tavi is washed into an English bungalow in India and instantly turns protector, while Mowgli, a human child raised by wolves, grows up under the strict, mysterious Law of the Jungle. Both stories open with danger at the doorstep and the question of who truly belongs. Rikki-tikki quickly makes the bungalow his home, but he discovers that Nag and Nagaina, a pair of deadly cobras, are plotting to destroy the family he has adopted. After killing the smaller snake Karait and narrowly surviving an ambush, he overhears the cobras' plan, battles Nag in the bathroom, and later destroys Nagaina's eggs before chasing her into her burrow and winning a final, hard-fought victory. Mowgli's journey begins when Mother Wolf refuses to surrender him to Shere Khan. Brought before the Wolf Pack, he is accepted through Bagheera's bargain and Baloo's support, then grows strong and wise, learning the jungle's language, customs, and laws while remaining bound by the rule never to kill cattle. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.