Bagheera and Baloo became my mentors and Kaa my trusted friend. Mowgli and I ran through the jungle together with our fellow wolf cubs to listen to Akela at the Council Rock. It is ideal for young adults, but this is no children’s book.įrom the start, I felt I really lived this book. Disney be damned, this is not a children’s book. One thing I must clear up is the perception that this is a children’s book. Reading these stories, I felt that Kipling appreciated the sound of language as much as its ability to convey a message. Kipling’s writing style is beautifully lyrical. It comes as no surprise that Kipling considered himself a poet first, for these stories are truly poetic. Since then, it's lingered on my nightstand waiting for me to join Mowgli again on his jungle adventures until last week. I lost my copy when I moved from the west coast to Chicago, found it again, picked up where I left off, lost it again when I moved to Wisconsin, and found it again in 2014. I started The Jungle Book nearly ten years ago. Kipling, Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, & I have been on a long journey together. Since then, it's lingered on my nightstand waiting for me to join Mowgli again on hi “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” The Jungle Book ~~ Rudyard Kipling Kipling, Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, & I have been on a long journey together.