The Jungle Books

Stage, screen and radio actor Madhav Sharma gives Rudyard Kipling's lively, adventurous tales of Mowgli, child of the Indian jungle, a mesmerizing reading. There are numerous audio productions of Kipling's stories, but no reader does a better job giving voice to Mowgli's friends and foes (Baloo, the bear; Bagheera, the black panther; Kaa, the rock python; and Shere Khan, the tiger) and re-creating the atmosphere of the Indian jungle setting through thoughtful phrasing and dramatic pacing. The touch of an Indian accent in Sharma's voice is a plus. The only disappointment is that this is an abridgment. The plot is intact, but some of Kipling's consideration of the eternal issues of good and evil, power, love, and anger, which make THE JUNGLE BOOKS such satisfying reading, is missing. It would be a pleasure to listen to Sharma read THE JUNGLE BOOKS in its entirety. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine