The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book. By Rudyard Kipling.  Illustrated by Kurt Wiese and William Henry Drake.  Everyman's Library, 1894.  216 pages.

Ask most people if they've read The Jungle Book, and you'll get the same answer: "No, but I've seen the movie."  Well if that's you, prepare yourself for something completely different: this is definitely not Disney!  Rudyard Kipling's classic tale is filled with darkness.  Death is a constant presence, lurking in the shadows waiting for a chance to pounce.  In Kipling's version, the jungle-dwellers know that any moment of weakness can bring about their own violent downfall, and even the strongest of them understand that the time will come when age and weakness will leave them vulnerable, perhaps even to their own pack.

 This is the world into which the young "Man-cub" Mowgli is thrust after his parents are forced to abandon him as they flee from the man-eating tiger, Shere Khan.  Mowgli is discovered by Mother and Father Wolf, who decide to to keep Mowgli and raise him as their own.  According to the Law of the Jungle, they must introduce the child to the wolf pack and ask approval to keep him.  While the wolves ultimately agree to let young Mowgli remain with them, Shere Khan insists that the boy is his by rights, and swears that he will one day kill him.  Mother Wolf, on the other hand, claims it is Mowgli's destiny to grow up and kill Shere Khan.

Illustration from The Jungle Book (1894)

Many things will come to pass before their fates will be decided.  Mowgli is put under the protection of the great black panther, Bagheera, a powerful hunter who fears no one in the jungle.  Baloo, the bear, becomes Mowgli's teacher, tutoring him in the Law of the Jungle.  In marked contrast to the movie versions, the giant python Kaa is not one of Mowgli's enemies, but rather comes to his aid when he is in danger (Although, you never can be too sure about snakes, can you?).

Mowgli and his adopted family know that one day he will have to return to the world of men, but before that time comes Mowgli will have many adventures and meet up with every type of animal, from the Bandar-log (monkey people) who know no law, to the conniving jackal Tabaqui.  Mowgli learns the ways of the jungle, and is able to communicate with all of the animals.  He gets into and out of danger, often calling on the creatures for help.  In the end, Mowgli has to decide which destiny to pursue: destroy Shere Khan, or take his place in the world of men.

Illustration from The Jungle Book (1894)

Interwoven into these tales are the equally enjoyable but unrelated stories of The White Seal and Rikk-Tikki-Tavi, the cobra-killing mongoose (among others).  Masterpieces of children's literature and triumphant feats of imagination, these stories have held the attention of young and old alike for more than a century.  Give them a try and you'll come to learn what good readers already know: the book is always better!

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Illustration from The Jungle Book (1894)

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. By Kimberly Willis Holt. Dell Yearling, 1999.  227 pages.  $6.38 (Paperback)

"Nothing much ever happens in Antler, Texas.  Nothing much at all.  Until this afternoon, when an old blue Thunderbird pulls a trailer decorated with Christmas lights in to the Dairy Maid parking lot.  The red words painted on the trailer cause quite a buzz around town, and before an hour is up, half of Antler is standing in line with two dollars clutched in hand to see the fattest boy in the world."

Toby and his best friend, Cal, are getting ready to head back to school near the end of another uneventful summer, when a new sensation arrives in town that will have an unexpected impact on both of their lives.  Zachary Beaver, billed as "the fattest boy in the world," weighs six hundred and forty-three pounds and travels the country in a trailer, charging curious spectators for a glimpse of his prodigious girth.  When Zachary is deserted by his caretaker, the boys find themselves thrust into an unwanted friendship with the enormous boy.  Zachary is often rude and surly, and seems to harbor many secrets, and Cal and Toby see him as a burden at first.  Little by little, however, Zachary lowers his guard and reveals himself to be much more complex than he first appears.

Meanwhile, Toby, the narrator of our tale, has other worries.  Like how to get Scarlett, the pretty blonde girl from his school, to think of him as more than a friend (while avoiding her menacing boyfriend, Juan).  Not only that, but Toby's mom has left the family in Texas to enter a singing contest in Nashville, and Toby notices some disturbing signs that seem to indicate that she may not be planning to return.

Set in the early seventies against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, this surprisingly complex book is often funny, and occasionally quite sad.  It is a story about the complexities of friendship and the difficulty of fitting in.  A winner of the National Book Award, this is a story anyone can relate to: it documents that awkward period between childhood and adulthood that can be one of the most difficult periods in anyone's life.  At the same time, it is a story about a (literally) larger than life character that is utterly unique in the world of fiction.