ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling and first published in 1894, is a collection of short
stories and poems that take place in the dense jungles of India. The stories are filled with adventure,
friendship and important life lessons, featuring a colourful cast of characters, including animals,
humans and mythical creatures. The most famous of these stories revolves around a young boy
named Mowgli, who is raised by wolves and learns the laws of the jungle from his animal friends.
Mowgli’s adventures with his friends Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther and Kaa the
python are the heart of the collection. They teach Mowgli valuable lessons about survival, loyalty
and the importance of understanding the natural world. Mowgli must also face challenges, such as
confronting the fearsome tiger Shere Khan and navigating the complexities of human society, when
he encounters a village near the jungle.
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) was a British author and poet best known for his works set in India,
including The Jungle Book, Kim and Plain Tales from the Hills. Born in Bombay, British India, Kipling
spent the first six years of his life in India before being sent to England to attend boarding school.
His experiences of being torn between two cultures would later inform his writing, particularly in
depiction of colonialism and its impact on both the colonized and the colonizers.
Kipling began his writing career as a journalist, working for several newspapers in India and later
in England. He quickly gained popularity for his vivid descriptions of life in India and his ability to
capture the complexities of the region’s diverse cultures. Kipling’s first major literary success came
with the publication of Plain Tales from the Hills (1888), a collection of short stories set in British
India that showcased his gift for storytelling.
However, it was Kipling’s children’s literature that would bring him international fame and acclaim.
The Jungle Book, a collection of short stories and poems about animals in the Indian jungle, was
published in 1894 and remains one of his most famous works. The book was an immediate success,
and its enduring popularity has inspired numerous adaptations, including films, television series
and stage productions.
