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The Jungle Books (Penguin Classics)
by Rudyard Kipling (Contributor: Daniel Karlin)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Penguin Classics (1990-02-01)
ISBN: 0140183167
EAN: 9780140183160
Dewy Decimal #: 823.8
Paperback: 384 pages
SKU: M131963
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 0140183167 MMPB free of markings. Cover shows light wear but 2 partial, parallel vertical creases on front. Interior evidences only gentle use, spine has single crease & is straight, pages clean but light, dime sized ink spot on p. edges; overall, a very serviceable copy. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Kipling's knowledge of and love for the jungle animates these delightful fables, many featuring Mowgli the wolf boy; both The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book are included in this volume.
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Amazon.com Review
No child should be allowed to grow up without reading The Jungle Books. Published in 1894 and 1895, the stories crackle with as much life and intensity as ever. Rudyard Kipling pours fuel on childhood fantasies with his tales of Mowgli, lost in the jungles of India as a child and adopted into a family of wolves. Mowgli is brought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from the kill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies among the Jungle-People--cobras, panthers, bears, and tigers--hone this man-cub's strength and cleverness and whet every reader's imagination. Mowgli's story is interspersed with other tales of the jungle, such as "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," lending depth and diversity to our understanding of Kipling's India. In much the same way Mowgli is carried away by the Bandar-log monkeys, young readers will be caught up by the stories, swinging from page to page, breathless, thrilled, and terrified. (Ages 9 to 12)
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Customer Reviews
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Building a classic library for a granddaughter
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-10-30
They don't seem to require reading classic literature in the schools any more, so I decided to build a library for my 12-year old granddaughter. She has read them all, including this one, so it wasn't a bad idea. Now, if I could just get her to call her old grandfather more often....
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Great
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-10-01
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I purchased The Jungle Books. I am familiar with Disney's story of Mowgli, but was very unfamiliar to all the volumes and the other stories. These stories were very interesting and moving -- the stories of Mowgli were exciting, and I loved The White Seal, Rikki-Tikki, and all of the others as well. What a great collection.
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THE JUNGLE BOOKS by Rudyard Kipling
Rating (4)
Date: 2008-09-12
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895) are collections of children's stories and related poems by Rudyard Kipling, the Briton who was born in and loved India, and who wrote these stories while living in Vermont. The stories are written as fables, and teach some moral lessons. They are probably Kipling's best-known works.
Many of the stories in both volumes feature Mowgli, the child raised by wolves who becomes master of the jungle (the first three stories in The Jungle Book are very obviously the inspiration for the 1967 animated Disney film). Most of the other stories are also set in India, although "The White Seal" in The Jungle Book and "Quiquern" (which is about Inuits) in The Second Jungle Book are exceptions. In nearly all instances, Kipling anthropomorphizes the animals; they speak, and are always prominent characters.
Kipling does a good job of writing in the fable style, although he doesn't always keep things moving at a good pace, and so some stories are more engaging than others.
There is a subtle racism throughout both volumes. Kipling was a staunch imperialist (he wrote the poem "The White Man's Burden" - this phrase has been used by imperialists since to justify imperialism as noble), and when humans feature in these stories, English whites are often presented as culturally and intellectually superior to the native Indians. This racism is still relevant, as it indicates a popular attitude of the day.
Ultimately, the Jungle Books are well worth reading. They have, perhaps deservedly so, achieved a prominent place in the pantheon of children's literature.
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Review of Jungle Book BARNES & NOBLE Version
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-07-07
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Since it appears that Amazon is combining the reviews for several versions of this book under one, I want to stipulate that I've read the Barnes & Nobel Classic version.
Actually comprised of 2 books, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, this is a collection of stories surrounding the jungles of India. A central character is Mowgli - a boy left in the jungle when his parents are frightened away and who is raised by wolves. His adventures as he grows up in the jungle are intriguing, frightening, enchanting, and certainly adventurous! This is NOT Disney! The way Kipling presents this material, it is easy to suspend belief and one could believe a boy was raised amongst the animals.
There are a host of other stories in each books that have nothing whatsoever to do with Mowgli, and that is fine. A couple even take the reader out of the jungle and into the frozen north - talk about a change of scenery! Still, Kipling keeps the reader fully engaged with the lives of animals and the effects of their environment.
A book of true escapism, but certainly not "just" for adults or children. Though the language might be a little more difficult to follow for younger children, older children should be able to stretch their imagination. And adults can fully appreciate the language of Kipling, which is rich and descriptive.
A thoroughly enjoyable read!
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Super Reader
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-08-27
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Rather than being raised by apes, it is wolves that fulfill for the family role for the young boy Mowgli after he escapes being tiger snacks.
Shere Khan will continue to be his antagonist, and he will gain advice and assistance from other jungle denizens as he grows to manhood.
This also has the pretty cool heroic mongoose tale Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.
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