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A review by nyom7
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
4.0
For those that aren’t aware, this is not one story and is in fact seven short stories with only the first three about Mowgli. Do not expect those three stories to be like the Disney film. They are far more subtle and interesting than that. Of the other four stories, one is about a seal searching for a safer breeding shore, another about a mongoose protecting a home from snakes, a third about a child involved in driving and capturing elephants, whilst the last is a narrative about several different animals’ role in war.
For me, though the 7th story fits in with the animal theme it didn’t really fit in with the more general feel of the other 6 stories and I could wish that it was not the last one as any of the other three non-Mowgli stories would, for me, have made a nicer ending.
Beware that for the Mowgli stories there are lots of words/references that are not in the modern British vernacular, and may well be unique to the Brit in India of that era. You can understand and follow it but be aware of that. That being said I did enjoy the stories a lot. Far more indeed than the Disney film (though if I’m honest, that’s generally the case as the source material is usually much more interesting).
It would make a great 5-7 year old’s bedtime story book, reading maybe half a story a night (each story is ~40 or so pages but that includes the illustrations and the words/page is relatively low). It also makes a great book to read as an adult and makes you think about the animal kingdom.
For me, though the 7th story fits in with the animal theme it didn’t really fit in with the more general feel of the other 6 stories and I could wish that it was not the last one as any of the other three non-Mowgli stories would, for me, have made a nicer ending.
Beware that for the Mowgli stories there are lots of words/references that are not in the modern British vernacular, and may well be unique to the Brit in India of that era. You can understand and follow it but be aware of that. That being said I did enjoy the stories a lot. Far more indeed than the Disney film (though if I’m honest, that’s generally the case as the source material is usually much more interesting).
It would make a great 5-7 year old’s bedtime story book, reading maybe half a story a night (each story is ~40 or so pages but that includes the illustrations and the words/page is relatively low). It also makes a great book to read as an adult and makes you think about the animal kingdom.