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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I can't say that this book lived up to my expectations. I mean where the cuss did Also, this is a bloody violent collection of shorts, to be largely toted as "children's stories". I guess you could put this book in the same genre as The Last Unicorn, or The Little Prince, or Johnathan Livingston Seagull, or Toy Story 3... or something else that seems to transcend age. Kipling was certainly great at crafting short tales that are simple enough for the young, and deeply true enough for the old. There's some great commentary in here about the nature of "the jungle" and man's relationship to that which is unfamiliar. Honestly though, my favorite story here wasn't even a part of what most people think of as "The Jungle Book" - it was the story of The White Seal. The final story was great too, about the different animals that served in India's military... okay, they were all pretty frickin' good. But I still expected more, for some reason.
Much of this book was wonderful and whimsical, other bits were harsh and violent, and then some pieces were heartrendingly sad and fleeting... like I'd only just discovered magic, in time to watch it leave the world. I wish I still believed in stories like these. I wish I knew, with childlike certainty, that animals had thoughts and voices, and plans to make their futures brighter. But I've fallen for one of the world's classic blunders: valuing "knowledge" over imagination. Perhaps, here, Kipling has taught me something of true value.
Ever feel like a book is just "good", but the experience you had of reading it and thinking about it was much better? How do I fairly rate books like this?! 3 stars, because I liked the stories, and 4 because I've really enjoyed the thoughts in the meantime.
Spoiler
Disney's King Louie come from if he's expressly NOT in the book?! And Shere Khan was such a lame nemesis :P literally...I wasn't expecting that. I thought he'd be debonair and intimidating, like in the movies! Like when I was a kid!Much of this book was wonderful and whimsical, other bits were harsh and violent, and then some pieces were heartrendingly sad and fleeting... like I'd only just discovered magic, in time to watch it leave the world. I wish I still believed in stories like these. I wish I knew, with childlike certainty, that animals had thoughts and voices, and plans to make their futures brighter. But I've fallen for one of the world's classic blunders: valuing "knowledge" over imagination. Perhaps, here, Kipling has taught me something of true value.
Ever feel like a book is just "good", but the experience you had of reading it and thinking about it was much better? How do I fairly rate books like this?! 3 stars, because I liked the stories, and 4 because I've really enjoyed the thoughts in the meantime.
I didn't care for the Disney animated version of The Jungle Book when I was a child, but I absolutely loved Chuck Jones' Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and I'm now delighted to see how accurate the movie is to the original story.
I love everything about The Jungle Book except for the last story, "Her Majesty's Servants." All of the other stories are the kind of tales I could read over and over again, though "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" will always be my favorite.
I love everything about The Jungle Book except for the last story, "Her Majesty's Servants." All of the other stories are the kind of tales I could read over and over again, though "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" will always be my favorite.
adventurous
medium-paced
This classic children's story is appropriate for adults like me who barely remember the old animated movie and Little Golden Book versions of the story because it's always a good idea to get the full story straight from the source. It's a good thing I did, because it was quite different than I remembered. The edition I read included three chapters that told the story of Mowgli. The last four chapters were each independent stories that all took place in the jungle and had a similar style, but had no overlapping characters. The animals were referred to as "people", and each type of animal spoke a different language that could be learned by other animals.
I'm sure there are deep meanings of the book that relate to humanity, but I haven't taken the effort to think that through. I simply enjoyed the stories for what they are.
I'm sure there are deep meanings of the book that relate to humanity, but I haven't taken the effort to think that through. I simply enjoyed the stories for what they are.
adventurous
funny
I vaguely knew this was more than Mowgli but it was a pleasant surprise because I enjoyed the other fables more! I liked how he spoke of the animals and their ways and names for things, it made me giggle. Highly recommend
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Discovered that the are more than just the Mowgli story. Others were interesting but not as captivating but that is maybe the publicity bias.
Great storytelling but I had difficuty with the blatant imperialism and the corresponding racism.
Fuori tempo
Ascoltato con la voce di Pino Insegno, che a volte scadeva un po' nel manierismo, l'ho trovato scorrevole ma troppo lontano dalle mie corde, anche se temo sia un fattore generazionale: alla mia età, leggere racconti con animali parlanti è un po' troppo stonato, anche se certi passaggi truci li trovo poco adatti a un bambino in erba.
Ascoltato con la voce di Pino Insegno, che a volte scadeva un po' nel manierismo, l'ho trovato scorrevole ma troppo lontano dalle mie corde, anche se temo sia un fattore generazionale: alla mia età, leggere racconti con animali parlanti è un po' troppo stonato, anche se certi passaggi truci li trovo poco adatti a un bambino in erba.