The Jungle Books (Penguin Classics)

Rudyard Kipling had never visited the jungles of Central India, yet his descriptions have a breathtaking imaginative power; and in Mowgli, the boy who grows up among wolves, he created one of the most popular and enduring of modern literary myths. Mowgli's companions and enemies include such unforgettable creatures as Shere Khan the tiger and Bagheera the black panther; from the moment "a little naked cub" wanders into the lair of Father Wolf and Mother Wolf to the moment when the "Master of the Jungle" returns to his own people, Mowgli's adventures comprise a rich and complex fable of human life. Along with these stories are other animal tales, ranging from the simple heroism of "Rikki-tikki-tavi" to the macabre comedy of "The Undertakers." Addressed equally to the imagination and understanding of children and adults, these tales are among the finest work of a master storyteller.