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The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
Audiobook4 hours

The Jungle Book

Written by Rudyard Kipling

Narrated by Rebecca Burns

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

"Oh hear the call!-Good hunting all / That keep the Jungle Law!" -Night-Song in the Jungle

When young little Mowgli's parents are run out of their camp by a formidable Bengal tiger, the toddler scampers to safety alone in the cave of a Seeonee wolf pack. Thereafter, forest animals succor Mowgli, and through his wits and their kindness, he reaches adulthood.

Paradox exists in this paradise, but nowhere more forcefully than in the Bengal tiger, Shere Khan. In the contest that must occur between Shere Khan and Mowgli, which will triumph: the human intelligence of Mowgli, or the deep, instinctive cunning of the wily striped cat?

Rudyard Kipling, who was forced to learn the art of self-preservation at a foster home and boarding school, believed in following the "Law of the Jungle." Part silly, part serious, the delightful stories in The Jungle Book convey Kipling's message in a way that children and adults alike appreciate.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 20, 2008
ISBN9781400178810
Author

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay (now known as Mumbai), India, but returned with his parents to England at the age of five. Among Kipling’s best-known works are The Jungle Book, Just So Stories, and the poems “Mandalay” and “Gunga Din.” Kipling was the first English-language writer to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1907) and was among the youngest to have received the award. 

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Reviews for The Jungle Book

Rating: 3.809105465255591 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,252 ratings55 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Verzameling verhalen waarvan alleen eerste 5 over Mowgli. Verhalen telkens gevolgd door bijhorend lied; zeer mooi geschreven.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Inhaltsangabe:Der Autor Rudyard Kipling erzählt hier vier interessante Tier-Geschichten, die überwiegend in Indien spielen.Da ist die berühmte Geschichte um Mogli, der im Dschungel bei den Wölfen aufwächst und im Alter von 12 Jahren dann zu den Menschen geschickt wird. Der Tiger Shir Khan hat allerdings noch eine Rechnung mit dem Menschenkind offen und so muss Mogli all seinen Mut beweisen.Eine Tier-Geschichte, die außerhalb Indiens spielt, handelt von einer kleinen weißen Robbe, die im Alter von einem Jahr mit ansehen muss, wie eine Gruppe vierjähriger Robben von den Menschen erschlagen und gehäutet wird. Er sucht viele Jahre in den weiten Meeren nach einer Insel, wo die Menschen nicht hinkommen.Und dann gibt es noch den Mungo namens Rikitiki und eine spannende Geschichte mit Elefanten-Treiber.Mein Fazit:Wer kennt die Geschichte um den kleinen Mogli nicht? Walt Disney hat Mogli, Balu und Baghira in einem bezaubernden Film auf die Leinwand gebracht. Doch wie war die Geschichte um Shir Khan wirklich? Warum wollte er unbedingt das Menschenkind haben?Mit einer ziemlich hohen Erwartung ging ich also an das Hörbuch. Ich kann nicht sagen, dass ich enttäuscht wurde, aber wirklich begeistert bin ich auch nicht. Ich glaubte, in diesem Buch würde es eben nur um diese eine Geschichte gehen. Nein, es sind insgesamt vier Geschichten, allesamt aus der Tierwelt, wo die Menschen eine untergeordnete Rolle spielen, trotzdem auf die eine oder andere Weise ihre Spuren hinterlassen.Der Vorleser Stefan Kaminski hat dabei sehr bildlich gesprochen und die Tier-Geräusche beeindruckend nachgemacht. Das ist wirklich positiv anzumerken, dadurch bekam ich ein sehr gutes Bild von der damaligen Zeit und der Begebenheit. Der Erzählstil ist schon etwas eigentümlich und bei den Versen und Gedichten habe ich das nicht immer genau verfolgen können. Da wäre die Print-Version der Geschichten wohl doch besser, zumal sich die Geschichten auch gut zum Vorlesen eignen. Es gibt auch einige brutale Szenen, aber in den Märchen geht es ja auch nicht immer zahm zu.Aufgrund der gut gewählten und ausdrucksstarken Erzähl-Stimme bekommt es vier Sterne!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I hadn't realized The Jungle Book was actually a collection of stories Kipling wrote, including the one I know and love in the form of a Disney movie. I was quite surprised (and happy!) to see Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (a personal favorite of mine) and a few others that I hadn't heard of. Each story was entertaining, short, and descriptive. It made me want to go back and watch the movie versions of The Jungle Book (in which I don't recall Bagheera being quite so endearing) and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. This is a classic that many can enjoy for generations to come.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this as an adult far more than I did as a child. When young, I expected the whole book to be about Mowgli. As an adult, I remembered that it was a collection of many things and thus wasn't disappointed. In fact, some of my favourites were not Mowgli stories. I particularly liked the story of the white seal.Kipling has a real gift with words (reminds me a little of Ursula le Guin) and some of his tales read like myth.I also appreciate the poems a lot more now. Kipling has a wonderful sense of rhythm, which I totally failed to appreciate when younger, but now really love.A small bonus for me was realising that the poem with 'Her Majesty's Servants' was set to the rhythm of several songs that I knew. When he talks of the cavalry cantering to 'Bonnie Dundee', the metre is that of 'Bonnie Dundee'. He also works 'British Grenadiers' and 'Lincolnshire Poacher' into the same poem.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beautiful, brilliant, nostalgic...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    My standard four teacher placed this collection into my hands knowing that I was a keen reader. I think he was trying to steer me towards the classics and away from Enid Blyton. I'm glad someone did. I read it, but I had no further guidance, so I was a bit perplexed. I asked my father to take a look. He's a non-reader really. He read a few paragraphs and said, 'What a load of rubbish.' (This didn't help.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I had no idea this book had more than the story of Mowgli. I've never even heard of the other stories although my mother says they are classic stories that she grew up with. And the story of Mowgli is much less than what I expected. I didn’t care too much for most of the other stories, though I now know what Rikki-tikki-tavi and Tomai references mean now. It was more of a book of short stories than anything else, which I usually don’t get into very often. It’s checked off the list though. Don’t regret the read since it was so short.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Rudyard Kipling pours fuel on childhood fantasies with his tales of Mowgli, lost in the jungles of India as a child and adopted into a family of wolves. Mowgli is brought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from the kill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies among the Jungle-People--cobras, panthers, bears, and tigers--hone this man-cub's strength and cleverness and whet every reader's imagination. Mowgli's story is interspersed with other tales of the jungle, such as "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," lending depth and diversity to our understanding of Kipling's India. In much the same way Mowgli is carried away by the Bandar-log monkeys, young readers will be caught up by the stories, swinging from page to page, breathless, thrilled, and terrified.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Spring 2019, audiobook:

    Guuuhhh. This was multicast and it made the experience SO Magical. I loved every bit of it, and it was glorious to watch myself transition from moments of "Ah ha! I remember that section from reading it in my early twenties" to just wistful sighing, and falling in love with the character as himself, and all those around him. I love the poetry pieces that begin to appear in the later third of the book, and the music put throughout it, and the ending quote from our beloved panther still gets me right in the heart of myself.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This particular book included more tales than just the Jungle Book tales. My favorite by far was Rikki-Tikki-Tavi which I have not read since I was a child.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Having grown up with the animation, and enjoying the recently released live-action film, I went into the book with my arms wide open. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy it as much as most others did.

    The problem isn’t the book or the stories themselves. Kipling’s writing is solid—practical and concise. The stories are great metaphors for growing in life and can act as coming-of-age stories for younger readers. Characters were built well and developed throughout.

    No, the problem lies in the exoticization and the ‘other’-ing of the natives, aka Indians, in the stories. Yes, these are colonial stories and it shows such attitudes through and through. We are shown as “exotic” people who are technologically and culturally challenged. The “white sahibs” are far more refined and framed as ‘good’ against their darker counterparts.

    A lot has been said about colonialism and post-colonialism. While I enjoyed Mowgli’s stories in the jungle greatly—in fact, they were the best in the collection—the others I didn’t quite enjoy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Haven't read this one, I don't think, since childhood, and that would be well over a half-century ago, so it was definitely due for a reread. Only reason I rank it at 4½**** is that it's not the 5***** that Kim is (and Kim's one of those books, like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and The Master and Margarita, that I reread every some years, with a planned reread of Kim coming up with the supplemental materials in the Norton Critical Edition).Never realized, though, that there's also a story "In the Rukh" about Mowgli's marriage. Seems, though, that it was the first Mowgli story Kipling wrote and doesn't have all that impressive a reputation. It apparently appears in some Jungle Books editions but not the one that I've got, so I printed it from a website and do mean to get around to it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A classic, everyone should read his stories.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Digital audiobook performed by Ralph Cosham3.5*** Of course I was familiar with Mowgli, Shere Khan, and Baloo, but I had never read the stories that make up this classic of children’s literature. This edition had Mowgli’s tale, but also included three bonus stories: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (the mongoose who battles the cobras), Toomai (who watches the elephants dance), and Kotick (the white seal who leads his herd to a safe haven). They are marvelous adventure stories with a few life lessons included. The exotic nature of the setting appeals to the imagination as well. I remember a children’s book I had as a child that had a one of the Jungle Book stories in it. I loved when my Daddy would read it because he of the voices he used for the different animals. Well, sorry, Daddy, but Ralph Cosham does an even better job when performing the audio. His underlying sibilant hiss for the cobras was just chilling. And his deeply sinister voice for Shere Khan would make anyone afraid. It was an absolute delight to listen to him read this classic.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was not very good. Maybe the first book I ever read that the movie was way better (and not just for the singing). This is a collection of short stories about anamorphic animals in the Inidan Jungle of the 19th century. I added it to my queue when I wanted more English stories from India in hopes of better communiating with my Indian colleagues. They aren't well written, they have no redeeming or overarching story and even though they are very short, they feel very long and boring. This audio book collection was particularly poor. there Were three distinct different narrators, I believe it was first recorded for Tape in the 80s and then re-released on CD in the 90s (and maybe digital in the 21st) and each time they added some artifacts and its just not good. Not worth stabbing yourself in the eye, but not worth reading.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A great classic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A classic that I loved since I read it for the first time at age 5. My favourite till today is Rikki Tikki Tavi, the mongoose who makes friends with beings so totally different from itself and protects them with wit and skill.Oh, and Bagheera, of course. Every child should have a Bagheera.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Don't rely on Disney, read the book(s) for yourself! The cartoon I've seen of Rikki Tikki Tavi is a faithful adaptation, and there are other stories I was wholly unaware of, but everything involving Mowgli is a bit different. There's more too. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the film adaptations too, but the book is likewise worth your time, if not more so.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This a collection of tales that include Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, and Shere Khan; the great snake Kaa and the Monkey People; the white seal Kotick; Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the human family he saves from the cobra couple Kala Nag and Nagaina; Little Toomai and the elephants; and a mule named Billy. "Mowgli's Brothers" is Chapter 1 and it's the basis for the popularized story and film called "The Jungle Book."These are stories of adventure and exploration of the world and its inhabitants. The adventures contain life's lessons along the way. I think most of these stories are fantastic in how they engage the reader through a fun plot and an easy reading style, especially "Mowgli's Brothers" and "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    What can you say about such a classic as this? Mowgli is raised in the wilds of the Indian Junble by wolves, and has a series of adventures, in which he proves himself brave, and kind and fair. I enjoyed reading the stories that make up The Jungle Book, for all they were a product of the era in which they were written.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picked up as premium on Folio Society order instead of 'Autumn' offering. Later saw a preview for new CGI Jungle Book Disney movie, so a refresher read seemed timely. I enjoyed all the stories, most especially 'Toomai of the Elephants' that I had never before encountered.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think this book is a bit gruesome for children, but... oh well, that's just me. Maybe it's all a matter of point of view, the original fairy tales are not half as glamorous as it is shown by the Disney universe.

    I usually dislike books with talking animals, and this one was no exception. I found that this book was rather bland and it failed to draw my attention to any of its tales. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi's was, by far, the most interesting one. As for the other ones, well, they're not really impressive. Indeed, perhaps I'm not the target audience of this book, thus my lack of interest for most of its aspects.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    One of my favorites.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even better now than when I was a child

    This is the first time I have read this book since I was a little girl. The stories are well written, for adult and child alike. It is a great thing to get to know these classical characters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Enjoyed the main story of The Jungle Book, didn't enjoy the other stories in the book quite as much. Other than The Jungle Book I liked the story of Little Toomai.Wonder if J.K. Rowling was inspired by Rudyard Kipling when she created Nagini as there are two snakes in a story named Nag and Nagaina.Made me want to read The Just So stories again. I might look out for it on the Kindle.Think it tied in well with my EA300 course though I enjoyed it more for not having to study it!Would love to get a pretty illustrated version to read again in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very enjoyable. Kipling knows his Subcontinent thoroughly and this epic yarn of an orphan boy raised by a menagerie of animals is priceless. Even Kaa the snake is a wise teacher to the boy. Much more involved than the wonderful cartoon movie by Disney, this book should be read first.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The first three stories here are more or less in our literary DNA at this point (I mean, really, who calls up more vivid associations for you, Noah, Achilles, and King Arthur, or Baloo, Bagheera, and Shere Khan?). Mowgli is the child raised by wolves, of course, but he's also the perfect man in a way, the transcendently alive (and lithe) hunter gatherer, domiciling amongst the beasts not because he's fallen off the map of human civilization but because we left him behind, adopted agriculture and superstition. He's not an animal and he's not a man, at least given what man has become--he's the treetopper and tool-user we might have been.And then there is "The White Seal," Kotick the seal on his requisite quest through underwater amazement-scapes, and the seals have their own language based on Aleut, which is amazing, and it's just a really well-fleshed-out and enchanting world. Also Kipling manages to pull off a (gory) seal massacre in a way that's not too awful to teach small children some thoughtful lessons about mortality. The equal of Mowgli in every way.And Rikki-Tikki-Tavi the mongoose, lesser, and Kipling dwells fetishistically on the "Big Englishman," but still a classic David/Goliath story.And then "Toomai of the Elephants," which to me is just mahout fanfic, and then the one about the horse and the mule and the camel, which to me is befuddled and pointless as if Kipling got too much sun.And the poems, which range from evocative in a"Jungle-Floor Ballads" kind of way to extraneous plot sommary of the stories to which they attach. This is a comprehensive rating, but Mowgli and Kotick are five-star bros for sure.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    After re-reading "Jungle Book" I still did not enjoy it. It's a book for children but as a child I did not enjoy it that much so I decided to put it off for x number of years. I guess a boy who grew up with wolves, bears and panthers just does not sit well with me but I did love the Disney movie. Maybe I'm just not a jungle girl and the Rules of the Jungle does not apply to me ;p.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Public domain book. It's been a long time since I saw the movie, and I've never read the novel. There's not actually a lot of "The Jungle Book" in this. Two, maybe three stories. And Shere Kahn is killed in the beginning. The rest are some stories about elephants and seals that involve a lot of "not things happening". It's not dissimilar from "Just So Stories". The stories just don't hold up well. They were meant for another time. Except "Rikki Tiki Tavi", which could take place in space with aliens if you switched some characters and settings around. I started skipping towards the end, because I just didn't feel like the stories mattered. If you want a Jungle Book fix, see the movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the parts with Mowgli, but the other stories completely lost my interest, so I didn't read them. They could be good. Maybe great. I will never know.