Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was one of the most famous writers of the Victorian and Edwardian Ages.
Born in India, Kipling was raised in Bombay. Though living in the English section of the city, Kipling was often told fables by his Indian nannies. These rich fantasies about India became the basis for a number of Kipling’s novels. Kipling would also later turn a number of these accounts into some of the most famous stories in the history of children’s literature.
The first book using this rich material was “The Jungle Book” (1894). The next work, published in 1895, was “The SecondJungle Book.” Often modern-day publishers combine the two books and simply call both collections “The Jungle Book.”
Though some of the characters in the books are animals such as the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the main character is Mowgli. A boy, raised by wolves in the jungle, Mowgli will be involved in many adventures. One exciting story about Mowgli is “Tiger-Tiger.”
Mowgli has just left the wolf pack and entered a village. There, Mowgli begins to learn how human beings operate. Since he can only speak wolf language, men consider him wild and untamed. Mowgli quickly learns many words and begins to understand how people think. He hears a famous jungle hunter describing a man-eating tiger.
Mowgli can’t believe the hunter knows so little about this tiger. Mowgli has fought with the tiger, named Shere Khan, and knows the tiger wants to kill him. Gray Brother, from the wolf pack, brings Mowgli the news that the tiger is laying in wait at an entrance to the village. Though Mowgli is tremendously strong, he is still a boy. In a straight-up fight with a tiger, he is sure to be destroyed.
So he begins to think of a plan. He has helped the other village boys herd all the water buffalos into muddy marshes outside the village. As he begins looking at the size of the water buffalos, Mowgli knows a herd of stampeding water buffalos could easily crush Shere Khan. Could the water buffalos become his allies?
What does Mowgli do? Can the wolf pack help him control the water buffalos? Where is the tiger when the struggle begins? Though he is still dangerous, why is the tiger also in peril?
How do the villagers respond to Mowgli fighting Shere Khan? Why does Mowgil begin to wonder if the wolves actually have more intelligence than men? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Rudyard Kipling won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He was very famous for most of his adult life. His reputation has suffered in recent decades because of his support for the expansion of the British Empire. His well-known poem “The White Man’s Burden” was used to justify many colonial prejudices of the late 1800s. However, his books for children continue to be very popular. “The Jungle Book” blends animal fantasy in exciting scenes set in India. Later stories such as the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi fighting the cobras Nag and Nagaina will be enthusiastically enjoyed by middle grade students. I hope you go to the library and check out this interesting title. I liked the collection and think you will as well. Enjoy!
