The Jungle Book: Mowgli's story...

The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story is the reimagined tale of Rudyard Kipling's story of young Mowgli the Man-cub and is the first in a new series of classics tales with modern settings by publishers Frances Lincoln. Our story begins as dawn breaks in the jungle, where the cries of a baby are heard as they echo through the trees. The animals soon discover that Shere Khan has stolen the young baby. They force him to relinquish his prize then banish him from the jungle. Bagheera the panther takes the 'Man-cub' back to the city and his own kind. However, unable to find protection for him, Baheera entrusts a pack of street dogs with the task of looking after the young baby. Mowgli grows up in the shadow of modern Mumbai, living happily amongst the pack, still under the watchful care of Bagheera. When news arrives that Shere Khan has returned seeking revenge for his banishment, the young Mowgli is taken back to the safety of the jungle. Baloo the bear is enlisted to help teach Mowgli about the ways of the jungle but the spirited Mowgli is not a good student. Bored of his lessons and full of pride, Mowgli leaves the safety of Baloo and Bagheera in search of adventure. Mowgli is soon taken prisoner by a troop of monkeys, but escapes with the aid of Kaa the snake. When he realises his street pack are in danger, Mowgli decides to return to the city to face Shere Khan. Using skills he has learnt in the jungle, Mowgli fearlessly faces down the tiger with the aid of his friends Baloo and Bagheer and the help of 'man's fire'. The actions of the brave Mowgli have been witnessed by the people of the city - praising and congratulating him they call him a hero. Bahheera and Baloo finally let Mowgli go, acknowledging that he has finally found his place in the world. Robert Hunter has created a stunningly vibrant retelling of the classic Jungle Book tale. His use of a colour pallet of orange, purple, green and blue to illustrate the beauty of not only the jungle but the backdrop of urban Mumbai is inspiring. Each double page spread is full of colour and action and the use of silhouettes within the book is clever way of injecting more life into the timeless settings of the story. I would highly recommend this beautiful picture book to fans of Rudyard Kipling's original Jungle book and to a new generation of younger readers who are yet to discover Kipling but love adventure stories about panthers, bears and tigers and of course, spirited young boys! 40 pages / Ages 6+ / Reviewed by Emily Beale, librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 5+