Into the Jungle

September 17, 2018
Rundell (The Explorer) returns to the jungle in this retelling of The Jungle Book, a richly illustrated collection of five tales about the beloved characters, told to Mowgli as he dashes through the jungle. In one, Father Wolf recounts a story of Mowgli’s lupine mother, an anecdote in which she earns a reputation for courage and intellect by outwitting the vicious tiger Shere Khan. Rapi, a “gentle-eyed and soft-eared” elephant, narrates a moving story about Bagheera’s time in captivity with his sister, Gilhari, and their bold escape. The collection ends with Mowgli taking center stage to face off against the dangerous and mythologized White Ape, bringing the lessons of courage, family, and community full circle. Detailed, lushly colored collages of Victorian engravings by Williams (The Wonder Garden) are a pleasure to study. With its themes of nature and wildness, Rundell’s collection offers more bite than many a retelling and addresses the lack of female characters in Kipling’s original, providing a well-rounded collection of stories. Ages 8–12.

September 1, 2018
In this modern companion to The Jungle Book, the man-cub Mowgli listens to the histories of several original characters--including Raksha, Baloo, and Bagheera--which helps him understand his place in the jungle and among his people.The collection begins with Father Wolf placing Mowgli between his paws and licking him clean, as he would with any other pup. When Mowgli asks for a story, Father Wolf tells him about Mother Wolf, Raksha, and her encounter with and subsequent escape from the fierce tiger Shere Khan. At the end of the story, Brother Wolf finds Mowgli and tells him that Raksha is looking for him. Mowgli mistakenly assumes he's in trouble and takes off into the jungle, stopping along the way only to listen to more stories. Rapi the elephant tells Mowgli about Bagheera's escape from the Maharana's palace; Akela the wolf tells him how Baloo rescued his father from a group of villagers who had captured the older bear; Kaa the python talks about his experiences with a human snake-charmer. Barring a couple of places where the author has followed Kipling's lead with an inaccurate translation (Raksha means "to protect" and not "demon"--Raakshas--as the text suggests), her follow-up makes for an engaging read, as Mowgli develops from a rather self-centered child to one who cares about his extended jungle family. Rundell's values-based narrative and Williams' earthy images reinforce the importance of different species' understanding one another and working together.Rundell emphasizes unity in diversity in this 21st-century companion to a complicated 19th-century classic. (Fantasy. 8-11)

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October 15, 2018
Grades 3-5 Kipling's classic The Jungle Book is updated in this collection of new stories. The book's conceit is that a number of animals?such as Father Wolf, Rapi the elephant, and Akela the wolf?tell Mowgli tales of other animals. Thus, Father Wolf tells of the wolf cub Raksha's brave and clever foiling of Shere Khan the tiger; Rapi tells of Bagheera the panther and his escape from captivity; and Akela tells of the bear Baloo and how he learned to speak the many languages of the jungle. Two other stories stand out: Kaa, the proud python, tells his own story about the time, years before, when he danced for a little girl named Shiv. And finally there is the story of Mowgli himself and of how he and his jungle friends defeat the legendary great white ape of the mountain. Rundell is no Kipling (Who is?), but her stories are entertaining, if sometimes a bit facile. The handsomely designed book, however, is greatly enhanced by Williams' lavish collage illustrations that bring the jungle to life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)