The Jungle Book: The Original Illustrated 1894 Edition Hardcover – September 28, 2018

The Jungle Book is a classic set of short stories and poems that has been adapted many times. The most adapted stories are the ones about the man-cub Mowgli, who is raised in a wolf pack and has a life-long animosity with Shere Khan the tiger. The original stories are different enough from the Disney and other versions to be entertaining and worth reading. Baloo is still a goofy bear but he does teach the Law of the Jungle to the wolf cubs, so he winds up teaching Mowgli too, in a more serious way. Kaa the snake is more of an uneasy ally, since he's the enemy of Mowgli's enemies at one point, thus becoming a proverbial if not actual friend. The Mowgli stories are a lot of fun.But the Mowgli stories are just under half the book. The other famous story is "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," about a mongoose befriended by a family. Some dangerous snakes live in the family garden and the mongoose uses his wiles and his courage to fight the snakes and protect the family. The story is charming and exciting.But wait, there's more! In another story, Albino seal Kotick discovers quite quickly how men harvest seals for their fur and searches for an island beach where the seals can live in safety. He travels all over the Pacific Ocean looking for a haven while the other seals just run through their regular life routine. He's an engaging hero though I am not sure how the story fits into the "jungle" theme.Another tale, "Toomai of the Elephants," chronicles a boy's discovery of an elephant dancing ground. Humans (according to the story) have often discovered these "ballrooms" but never have they seen an actual elephant dance. The boy happens to ride an elephant one night and hides on the beast's back as a whole legion of elephants show up and do their dance deep in the jungle. The magical air of the story is captivating.The final story tells of army animals (elephants, horses, mules, and camels) who brag about how great they are, though no animal shares the same greatness and they all have one (or more) flaws. They all have to perform in a military parade the next day. That parade shows how even though they are diverse in their qualities, as an organized group they are impressive to see.Poems are interspersed with the stories. Most of them are songs that the various animals sing about or during their adventures.The book overall paints an interesting fictional portrait of life in the wild (or semi-wild), giving the various animals very human traits. I found it very entertaining and am looking forward to rereading it in the future.Highly recommended, even if you have seen movie versions.

This is a book from my childhood! I have always loved the stories that inspired all the Disney tales. The book was listed as used-like new and I don’t think it was ever opened. It’s totally like new, the spine is in great shape, the pages are crisp, it’s like it is fresh off the shelf of a B&N. The only thing I wish I knew (and it’s probably for the best since my eyesight has gone to crap) is that it seems to be large format print/format. It’s definitely not a dealbreaker, but I didn’t notice it in the description. Doesn’t matter - still going to read it, re-read it, and let my kids read the old stories too. Happy to have it on the shelf once more!

Kipling classic of cultural stories. 10 times better than any movie or show.

Great read, easy stories for bedtime or around a campfire. Book is a reprint of public domain stories, and pictures are tiny and somewhat blurry, otherwise a great addition to the side table for a relaxing evening.

It is a very nice addition to home Library to read with kids, i want my kids to read more and this book is very nice and interesting and not difficult to read in english ( I read it in Russian) Thank you ^^

I bought this book for my Granddaughter. I feel it’s important that she is exposed to the classics. Kipling was one of the best. If your looking for a really nice gift for a child or other try buying a classic tale...your imagination is endless...

My daughter loves this series.. It was a gift for her and she loved it. Highly recommended.. Also when you're buying a book, the most important thing is receiving books in a perfect condition. Thats what we got at this purchase. Very happy over-all and highly recommended this seller,

my 13 yr. old son loved this story. very sturdy durable book hard cover .