The story of the man-cub Mowgli who is raised by wolves in the Indian jungle, guided by his mentors Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther & the ancient python Kaa, & who confronts his arch-enemy Shere Khan the tiger, is one of the greatest literary myths ever created. Mowgli`s adventures are juxtaposed with other animal stories set in the British Empire, ranging from the heroic battle of ” Rikki-tikki-tavi” & the Himalayan pastoral ` Purun Bhagat` to the drama of survival in ” The White Seal”. With ” The Jungle Books” Rudyard Kipling drew on ancient beast fables, Buddhist philosophy & memories of his Anglo-Indian upbringing to create a rich, symbolic portrait of man & nature, & an eternal classic of childhood that has had a lasting impact on our imaginations. Part of a series of new editions of Kipling`s works in ” Penguin Classics”, this volume contains a General Preface by Jan Montefiore & an introduction by Kaori Nagai discussing the many imperial, Indian & literary contexts of ” The Jungle Books”.