Customer Reviews

Second Jungle Book

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After achieving success and notoriety with his first Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling followed it with a second. The book contains many tales. The first is how Mowgli the boy brought up by wolves learns, as a child, about the laws of the jungle, especially about how animals should act when bad weather makes food and water to be scarce. He also learns how the Elephant, the king of the jungle, understands how the jungle first began to be. The second story is about an accomplished Indian who rises to the top government position and gives it up to become a wandering beggar. He ends up on a mountain, treated well by animals, who warn him of an earthquake. He, in turn, alerts humans who build a Temple for him and consider him a holy man.

The third tale picks up the Mowgli story from the first book. Mowgli has returned to the jungle after a three month stay among humans, including his natural father and mother. The village people think he is a devil because of his unusual behavior and consider his parents the father and mother of a devil, who they decide to kill. Mowgli rescues them and arranges for the jungle animals to protect them as they escape the superstitious villagers.

This story is followed by one about a jackal and an adjutant, then there is another tale about Mowgli and snakes and killing, then another story not about Mowgli. This is followed by a story of a happy period in Mowgli's life. The jungle beings are afraid of him. Father and mother wolf have died and his friends among the animals are old. But those who are alive enjoy life. But then animals come and disturb the peace. This tale is followed by one when Mowgli is seventeen years old. He is now respected not only for his wit but also for his strength. This last story ends with a tearful parting when Mowgli decides to leave the jungle and go again to live among people.

It's rare that a sequel actually exceeds the work that inspired it, but the Second Jungle Book really exceeds all expectations. Everything is better from the ending to the eskimo story. It's interesting how both jungle books have a story set in a frozen climate, but it does provide a nice break from the jungle.

Now the ending of the Second Jungle Book actually features Mowgli and centralizes him as a character. The ending of the first Jungle Book is just a war discussion between four animals that's actually pretty hilarious.

Although if I had to choose I'd probably rank the Life of Pi higher than the two Jungle Books, I find them to be both amazing works. And unlike the Life of Pi you don't really have to read the Jungle Book chapters in order if you don't want to. (I think one of the stories in the first book is deliberately out of sequence.)

I'd have to call Walt Disney's adaptation of the Jungle Book his biggest miss. The movie is FAR inferior to Kipling's collection of stories (but I think his stories are more for grown-ups anyway). Of course, after someone finishes something as grand as Mary Poppins you have to give them a break. Good old Walt.

Anyhow, if you don't trust my review enough to read all of the Second Jungle Book, at least go to the library and read the Quiquern chapter. Trust me, it's great.

Don't know how I got to 38 without reading 'The Jungle Book' and 'The Second Jungle Book'.

Small complaint: this version does not have Kipling's poems, just the prose.

The second jungle book has a Mowgli that is getting older, and beginning to interact with other humans, not always in a good way. A hunter comes to take him down, for one. He also meets a cute girl.

This opens with 'How Fear Came', where Shere Khan tells how conflict came to the jungle.

This book had great stories in it and very good illistrations although few in book.