"A compilation of stories that focus mainly on Mowgli, an orphaned human child who is accepted into the Seeonee Wolf Pack and lives in the jungle until he is grown. We are offered a glimpse of a wild, unknown world but one that is not so very different from our own. Through Mowgli's eyes and adventures we learn that the animals of the Jungle also live by rules, and all have a role; a part that they all must play."3 Stars.
Pros: Each high-lighted character, such as Baloo and Bhagheera had their own unique personalities, the stories that did not directly deal with Mowgli were still interesting since the protagonists had their own adventures etc.
Cons: Sometimes the tone was a bit dry/long winded/If all of the Mowgli tales were told chronologically I think the book wouldn't have felt so tedious at the end.
Full Review
Unbeknownst to me, there are actually two Jungle Books. And within these books are stories about the "man cub" Mowgli, a young, orphaned human who is taken in by the free pack of the Wolves of Seeonee. He is taken under Bhagheera, the Panther's wing as well as Baloo, the bumbling but wise bear who teaches him the laws of the Jungle.
We watch Mowgli as he goes from one adventure to the other, always leading the people of the jungle to victory. But even when he lives with man for a short time as a child and is ultimately rejected because of his ways with the animals, there is one woman, Messua, whom he always remembers simply for the kindness that she showed him.
Other stories within the first and second Jungle Books deal with different animals as the protagonist like Rikki Tikki Tavi and The White Seal or sometimes, we get to see that some humans are given the gift of understanding the speech of the animals such as in Her Majesty's Service.
Most of the stories are quick and easy, entertaining for their short, pseudo-predictable plots. And even when there is conflict, the reader can rest assured that for the most part, the protagonist will prevail. Though within many of the stories that deal with Mowgli there are implications that the animals have suffered before at the hands of man. Bhagheera often reiterates that he was born in captivity and the numerous scars on the Elephants backs in Toomai and the Elephants is proof enough that the humans can be cruel. But a human is never killed, at least not by Mowgli, Baloo, Bhagheera, Kaa or any of Mowglis' wolf kin. The only two animals that are ever said to have killed man are Shere Khan, the tiger, who is undeniably evil and Mugger the Crocodile in The Undertakers.
Once the first Jungle Book ends and the second begins, the stories grow a little longer and to be honest, a little dryer. The tone starts to become monotonous. Though Kipling's anthropromorphising of the animals and giving them all very different personalities and attitudes is amusing, it can become repetitive and tiresome near the end. The haphazard way that the tales of other animals like Rikki Tikki Tavi and The White Seal are thrown into the mix with the stories of Mowgli becomes confusing. I feel that the book would have been more enjoyable if all of the tales that dealt with Mowgli comprised one Jungle Book and all the other stories of the other animals were grouped into the second book.
All of the stories that deal with Mowgli were interesting and kept the reader engaged because Mowgli was a solid, steady focal point. Though a few of the stories that were separated from Mowgli were still entertaining. Some of those stand alone stories that I most enjoyed were Toomai and the Elephants, Her Masjesty's Service and How Fear Came.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a soft spot for anthropomorphism, detailed, picturesque scenes painted of the lush jungles of India and anyone who is interested in "the classics."
Though I was eager for the book to be done and was glad when it was over, the last story was very sad and bittersweet. And the final poem that Baloo, Bhagheera, Kaa and all the other Jungle animals call out to Mowgli as he leaves to live with Messua and mankind is something that will stay with me for a long time.
"Wood and Water, Wind and Tree
Wisdom, Strength and Courtesy
Jungle-Favor go with thee."
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