A review by l1nds
Into the Jungle: Stories for Mowgli by Katherine Rundell

5.0

"We are never fighting only for ourselves. We fight for the survivors. Because somebody always survives."

This is a beautifully illustrated collection of stories which, although it adds backstories to several characters from the original books, doesn't require any prior knowledge to enjoy. I say this quite confidently as someone who saw the Disney film once as a child but never read the book!

Katherine Rundell weaves her usual magic to bring the jungle and it's inhabitants gloriously to life (Bagheera was a particular favourite). Four characters - Raksha, Bagheera, Baloo and Kaa - have the spotlight shone on them, before everything is tied together with a final adventure involving almost the whole jungle! Without being preachy for a second the stories impart some (much needed in these troubled times) messages of tolerance, teamwork, and fighting for what you believe in (and on behalf of those not able to do so themselves).

The illustrations are gorgeous and I can only imagine they're even more impressive in the book than on my relatively small smartphone screen. I would recommend this book for children of all ages, from 7 to 70!