Review - Into the Jungle by Katherine Rundell

 Review - Into the Jungle by Katherine Rundell

Into the Jungle is a modern classic in the making, as Katherine Rundell creates charming and compelling origin stories for all Kipling's best-known characters, from Baloo and Shere Khan to Kaa and Bagheera. As Mowgli travels through the Indian jungle, this brilliantly visual tale, which weaves each short story together into a wider whole, will make readers both laugh and cry.

I haven't read The Jungle Book since I was a young child, I'm much more familiar with the Disney film, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. I quickly fell in love with it!

There are five short stories, each one focusing on a different Jungle Book character and delving into their past. It was fascinating to see different aspects of characters like Baloo the bear or Bagheera the panther, and what shaped them into the familiar characters we know and love. The stories are also cleverly linked, with each story being told to Mowgli by a different storyteller, so that the whole book hangs together as a single narrative that builds up to a very exciting climax.

One of the things I particularly loved is the way Katherine brings the jungle and the surrounding human civilisation to life. It's incredibly evocative and I really did feel drawn into that world, with all of its sounds, smells and visions.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Into the Jungle by Katherine Rundell is out now, published by Pan Macmillan.

I was given a review copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review.