The Jungle Book
New Illustrated Edition with 89 Original Drawings by Maurice de Becque and Others
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- $0.99
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- $0.99
Publisher Description
The Jungle Book (1894) is a collection of stories by English author Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893-94. The edition contains 89 illustrations by Maurice de Becque, and others, like the author's father, John Lockwood Kipling.
The tales in the book (as well as those in The Second Jungle Book which followed in 1895, and which includes five further stories about Mowgli) are fables, using animals in an anthropomorphic manner to give moral lessons. The verses of The Law of the Jungle, for example, lay down rules for the safety of individuals, families, and communities. Kipling put in them nearly everything he knew or "heard or dreamed about the Indian jungle." Other readers have interpreted the work as allegories of the politics and society of the time. The best-known of them are the three stories revolving around the adventures of Mowgli, an abandoned "man cub" who is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle. The most famous of the other four stories are probably "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", the story of a heroic mongoose, and "Toomai of the Elephants", the tale of a young elephant-handler. As with much of Kipling's work, each of the stories is followed by a piece of verse.
The Jungle Book came to be used as a motivational book by the Cub Scouts, a junior element of the Scouting movement. This use of the book's universe was approved by Kipling at the request of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, who had originally asked for the author's permission for the use of the Memory Game from Kim in his scheme to develop the morale and fitness of working-class youths in cities. Akela, the head wolf in The Jungle Book, has become a senior figure in the movement, the name being traditionally adopted by the leader of each Cub Scout pack.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adapted by Powell from Kipling's The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, this interactive entry in the Seek and Find Classics series invites readers to take part in the unfolding story. In more than a dozen seek-and-find scenes keyed to significant moments in the plot, children are asked to find 10 objects and animals (and Mowgli, of course) in Frenna's cinematic cartoons. The retro vibe of her artwork at times recalls the Disney adaptation but still offers a distinctive spin on the characters and drama of the tales. Also available: Alice in Wonderland. Ages 8 up.