The Jungle Books

First published serially between 1893 and 1894, “The Jungle Book” is Rudyard Kipling’s classic collection of jungle tales in which we first meet Mowgli, a child lost in the jungles of India and raised by a pack of wolves. To survive in the jungle Mowgli most learn from the animals to abide by the laws of the jungle. A cast of interesting creatures surround Mowgli, including Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther, who help the young man to survive, and the tiger Shere Khan, who is envious of Mowgli and wishes his demise. Also contained in “The Jungle Book” are the stories of Kotick, a white seal in search of a new home for his tribe were they will not be hunted, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a mongoose who defends an Indian family against a pair of cobras, along with several other tales of the jungle. One of the most popular collections of short stories for children ever written, “The Jungle Book” was inspired by Kipling’s own experiences as a youth in India, where he would spend many of his formative years. Because of the popularity of “The Jungle Book” Kipling wrote a sequel, “The Second Jungle Book”, in which five more tales of Mowgli and three other jungle tales are related. Interspersed with beautiful poetry relating to the stories, Kipling’s “Jungle Books” are collected together here in this volume. This edition includes a biographical afterword.