The Jungle Books (The World's Classics) [Paperback]

Rudyard Kipling (Author), W. W. Robson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1992 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: The World's Classics

The Jungle Books, regarded as classis stories told by an adult to children and best known for the "Mowgli" series, also constitutes a complex literary work of art in which the whole of Kipling's philosophy of life is expressed in miniature. The stories, a mixture of fantasy, myth and magic, are underpinned by Kipling's abiding preoccupation with the theme of self-discovery and the nature of the "Law."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?The law of the jungle?intense competition for one's niche?seems to apply to The Jungle Book, judging from the numerous editions jostling on the bookseller's shelf. The centenary of publication is the justification given for this avatar: but fortunately, it needs no excuse. All the Mowgli stories, and the perennial "Rikki-tikki-tavi," appear to glorious advantage in a handsome format. A manageable size, creamy paper, a clear typeface, and generous margins are as inviting as the 17 masterly full-page watercolors. They are beautifully composed, balanced but not static, freely handled but without any loss of clarity. Mowgli and the animals are characterized rather than idealized. Color and texture are subtle but lush. These contrasts perfectly complement the tension between order and "the jungle" evoked in Kipling's text. If survival of the fittest indeed applies to publishing, this edition should have a long life.?Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. In 18 rich watercolor paintings, Pinkney captures the sheer drama of the eight Mowgli stories and of the well-loved "Rikki-tikki-tavi." A handsome volume for collections of classic tales. Sally Estes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 2, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192829017
• ISBN-13: 978-0192829016
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,145,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What magic lies between the covers of this book!, February 22, 2006

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jungle Books (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these wonderful stories again, and it was a bonus having all of Rudyard Kipling's stories together in one volume. This book has all the Mowgli stories, plus other favourites like "Riki-Tiki-Tav", "Toomai of the Elephants", and many more. Reading these again affirmed my belief of Kipling's great skill as a storyteller. These stories had appeal for me when I was younger, but they have a different appeal for me now. Kipling's descriptions and characterizations are wonderful, and they put the reader right there in the jungle with Mowgli and Bagheera, and all Mowgli's other friends. We who love to read should not forget to read these wonderful stories once in awhile. Modern short story authors still have to go some to even begin to match these classics by a great author.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wow Book, December 18, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jungle Books (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

The Jungle Book is a story about a young boy whose life is paid for with a bull brought down by Bagera, a black panther. Mowgali lived his life in the pack until a tiger (Sher Khan) convinced the pack to hate Mowgali because he is a man cub and is a potential threat to them in the future. So Mowgali makes his life among men in the village and then is threatened once again by Sher Khan and after Mowali destroyed Sher Khan he took the pelt to the pack and told them off. I really liked this book but it used old English that was hard to get the hang of at first.

I liked this book because it had a lot of action. When Mowgali was taken to the ruins he was throne into a pit with poisonous snakes by the mutinous monkeys. In the story "Toomai of the Elephants," the elephants stomp down the area around them in a triumphant dance. In the part of the Jungle Book Mowgali had to kill Sher Khan, and he had to herd the bulls to go and attack Sher Khan.

This book was a little difficult to read. It was difficult because it was all phrased in old English like art, hath, thou, ect., . There were also a few different stories and they were hard to follow at times. There were a lot of characters that were in each of the stories and there were a lot of characters that had hard to pronounce.

In this book had a lot of animals and the humans weren't completely portrayed as protagonists. In the "White Seal" the humans killed the seals for their coats and all the seals that were always in constant danger. In "The Jungle Book" there are hunters who are just going to kill Sher Khan just for game and not for a reason. In "Toomai of the Elephants" the protagonist wasn't completely clear but I really liked how little Toomai observed the elephants and didn't pose harm to the Elephants.

This was a thrilling collection of stories with action even though it was a little hard to read. I liked this book because it had a lot of action, a lot of animal characters, but it was a little tough to read. In one of the stories Sher Khan wants to kill Mowgali. I recommend this book for people in sixth grade or higher because of the vocabulary and other parts of the book.

R. Roston

5.0 out of 5 stars Just What I Wanted!, December 7, 2011

By 

fuzzi (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The jungle books (A Golden illustrated classic) (Hardcover)

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