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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War
I honestly don't remember if I read all the stories in Kipling's Jungle Book collection, or just the ones about Mowgli (and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which was my standout favorite). But I remember being disappointed that Kipling's characters differed from Disney's and didn't even sing!
This review was originally published on NetGalley.
A great reading and a beautiful manga version to look at!
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories about Mowgli, the boy raised by animals in the Indian jungle and the stories of several animals in their own unique adventures.
I’ve read the original stories many years ago and it was refreshing to go through them again in such a light way. The drawings are magical and the original stories didn’t lose any of their charms or sense. Being a fan of the Disney version of the novel, I could almost hear the songs in my head as the respective characters came to play, such as Mowgli and the elephants.
On the contrary of the other manga classics published so far, this graphic novel can also be read to children. The language is easy to understand and the illustrations are very appealing and pleasant to look at.
A delight to read, this manga version is a treat!
A great reading and a beautiful manga version to look at!
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories about Mowgli, the boy raised by animals in the Indian jungle and the stories of several animals in their own unique adventures.
I’ve read the original stories many years ago and it was refreshing to go through them again in such a light way. The drawings are magical and the original stories didn’t lose any of their charms or sense. Being a fan of the Disney version of the novel, I could almost hear the songs in my head as the respective characters came to play, such as Mowgli and the elephants.
On the contrary of the other manga classics published so far, this graphic novel can also be read to children. The language is easy to understand and the illustrations are very appealing and pleasant to look at.
A delight to read, this manga version is a treat!
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book overall paints an interesting fictional portrait of life in the wild (or semi-wild), giving the various animals very human traits. I found it very entertaining and am looking forward to rereading it in the future.
64/365 -2022
64/365 -2022
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my first experience of Rudyard Kipling. The undertone of colonialism is present but for the most part this is simply a strong collection of fables with rich characters. I particularly enjoyed "The white seal" which I am pretty sure influenced the film "Happy Feet".
This book had some high points, with lines that made me smile like, "It is the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose, because he is eaten up from nose to tail with curiosity." Unfortunately, I often felt confused by what words meant and hard a hard time keeping the different characters straight, especially in the final story. The short poems, songs, and other interludes between the stories also fell flat for me.
I'm not sure why the author bothered having some of the stories told through the perspective of a human who inexplicably understood the language of animals. At one point, he makes a weak attempt to justify that the narrator understands animal by saying, "Luckily, I knew enough of beast language—not wild-beast language, but camp-beast language, of course—from the natives to know what he was saying." If you're going to pretend that all animals, or at least camp-beasts, speak the same language, fine. It's fiction. Go for it. But I don't think a hand wavy explanation of how humans are also in on it adds anything to the story, and only undermines any suspension of disbelief.
I'm not sure why the author bothered having some of the stories told through the perspective of a human who inexplicably understood the language of animals. At one point, he makes a weak attempt to justify that the narrator understands animal by saying, "Luckily, I knew enough of beast language—not wild-beast language, but camp-beast language, of course—from the natives to know what he was saying." If you're going to pretend that all animals, or at least camp-beasts, speak the same language, fine. It's fiction. Go for it. But I don't think a hand wavy explanation of how humans are also in on it adds anything to the story, and only undermines any suspension of disbelief.
Loved these stories. I can definitely see this as a re-read one day along with reading this to my future children. Some of these little reads show the way man must control or destroy animals for their well-being and it made me stop and think. Thankful to have finally picked this book up.