Well, remembering my youthful enjoyment of the Disney movie by the same name I thought the Jungle Book would pretty much concern the young Indian boy Mowgli, but I was quite surprised to find that although Mowgli's tale is a story in Kipling's classic, it is by no means the overall focus of the story. The Jungle Book is really a collection of short stories, all about, you guessed it, jungle animals. The stories differ greatly in every aspect except style. Kipling consistently delivers a solid story that is entertaining and memorable.
There are seven stories total in the edition I bought of The Jungle Book (which is the Wordsworth complete and unabridged version). Three of the tales concern Mowgli, the foundling saved from the clutches of the tiger Sher-Khan and raised by wolves. He is taught the laws of the Jungle by the astute panther Bageedra, and Baloo, the boisterous bear. Mowgli's adventures are far from complete, but I think Kipling actually wrote a continuation of his tales. The narration is marvelous, told by the author the book operates on the rather simple premise that he can understand animals, and has just paid attention to their jungle folk tales. These stories, especially the ones about Mowgli are adventurous, and almost poetic in structure. I understand why this book was such a popular children's tale, it plays on simple themes of honour and respect. The good are rightous and the bad are despicable. But you can't complain about stereotypes, because really, it's just an observation of nature. In other words, there is a truth to the writing that surprises in it's simple honesty.
The collection also contains a few other notable stories. The tale of Riki-Tiki-Tivi, a small mongoose who must heroically defend his home against the deadly snake Na, and his wife Nagina. And my personal favorite story in the whole book, that of The White Seal. A story about a seal who won't give up on his dream of finding a peaceful secluded beach somewhere that is free of man and his destructive ways. The White Seal must search for years, across the globe, and I found his story sad, and beautiful. Really a marvelous tale.
The really great thing about this book was it's structure. It was a joy to pick up, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, very basic though. If one we're to look for any reason to criticize this book I might say that it is a tad simple. But then again, it is for children, and it's a collection of fairy tales. I'd say Kipling came through wonderfully with this book. It's endearing, heartfelt, and honest.
Rating:
