Friday, June 8, 2012

The Jungle Book

Finished The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Although Kipling spent much of his childhood and early adult years in India, these stories were actually written when he lived in Vermont of all places.

I was familiar with the stories of the man-cub Mowgli and the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi from animated adaptations I saw as a child. The other stories were all new to me. I especially liked “The White Seal” and “Her Majesty’s Servants.” I think quite a lot of children’s literature anthropomorphizes animal characters. Reading this type of story feels comfortable and comforting to me somehow. Perhaps this is why books like The Wind in the Willows and Charlotte’s Web are among my favorites.

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