Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mowgli and more in timeless, suspenseful tales.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Rudyard Kipling's classic book of short stories THE JUNGLE BOOK contains several pieces about Mowgli, the \"mancub,\" who was taken from his human parents and ends up being raised by a wolf family. The book also includes stories about animal characters: \"Rikki Tikki Tavi,\" about a brave mongoose; \"The White Seal\" about a young seal that swims the Bering Strait; and \"Toomai of the Elephants,\" about a young elephant handler. All of the stories personify animals, and they show the complex relationship between creatures that hunt and fear each other in the wild. In Mowgli's stories, the most well known Jungle Book tales, the young boy grows up surrounded by his wolf family and his loyal friends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther. Mowgli struggles for acceptance in the wolf pack while trying to learn the ways of the jungle, avoid being tricked by mischievous monkeys, and evade Shere Khan the tiger, who's always lurking in the shadows.
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Is It Any Good?
The Jungle Book has fascinated readers for more than 100 years with its unforgettable characters and beautifully rendered animal society. There's loads of action and adventure -- as Mowgli engages in a battle of wits with Shere Khan the tiger, or when Rikki Tikki Tavi protects his family from cobras -- and inspiring messages, too, about respecting the laws of nature and the ways intelligence and understanding can be more effective than brute strength. However, readers who are more familiar with Disney's rendition of The Jungle Book may need some encouragement to appreciate the beauty of the less whimsical original.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Mowgli in the book different from the one in Disney's animated Jungle Book. What differences are there in the story?
What's difficult for Mowgli as he tries to fit in to the human village?
Tweens and teens can learn more about Rudyard Kipling's world by watching the PBS series My Boy Jack, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Kipling's son.
Book Details
- Author: Rudyard Kipling
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship , Science and Nature , Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Sterling Publishing
- Publication date: January 1, 1894
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 14
- Number of pages: 192
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Audiobook (abridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: June 4, 2020
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