Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/15/2018 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. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.