The Second Jungle Book

Like its predecessor, this is a collection of short stories and songs that were first published in magazines before being collected in book form in 1895. These were well written, though I thought the Mowgli stories were less interesting than those in the first collection, and less clearly focused around the animals or aimed at younger readers. Also there were no illustrations in this book. One or two of the non-Mowgli stories were actually my favourites, The Miracle of Purun Bhagat about an Indian prince turned spiritualist and Quiquern, providing a big contrast set in Eskimo territory.

For some reason I read this years before I read the original Jungle Book; the sequel is not quite as memorable in general, but the story that has stuck in my mind for almost forty years is “The Miracle of Purun Bagat”, about an Indian official in the Raj who turns his back on the world and seeks enlightenment in nature.

If you time it correctly, both Jungle Books can hit you perfectly at just the right age. I think that's how they were for me as a kid. The first is a great adventure story, and the second is a level up, sadder and about growing up and everything. I need to make two detours here, the first regarding why I needed to re-read it.
About a year ago, this tree I loved was cut down. I'm kind of weird about plants, comes from growing up a loner with a well-wooded acre to play in. Anyway, I get in a fit about how humans deal with nature, especially around here, where just about anything grows—except that nasty East coast stuff that just looks sad and out of place and never fills the area it was meant to, but is planted all over anyway. Now, I show more can't remember my thought process of a year ago, but somehow I dredged up a memory of a book I'd last read at least a decade before and remembered enough to find the right passage. It's just been percolating since then (After London had a bit to do with it) and with my mobile and Project Gutenberg I can indulge in my early chapter books with ease.
Second: this book (especially in conjunction with the first) reminds me heavily of how (the movie) Labyrinth is and should have been. At the end of the second book, Kaa, Baloo, Bagheera and the four all pretty much tell Mowgli what Hoggle tells Sarah—that they'll always be there, "should you need us". But the end is so much more satisfying than Labyrinth, because Mowgli stayed in the jungle and became part of the jungle before "growing up" and "being a man", etc. How many of you were totally pissed that Sarah didn't stay with Jared? Most folks I know were. Imagine if she'd stayed there for a few years, raising her brother and finding herself (or whatever) and being the Goblin Queen, before returning to her parents and the human world. Mowgli, in talking with Akela a couple of years before the end of the book has this conversation: “I will never go. I will hunt alone in the Jungle. I have said it.” “After the summer come the Rains, and after the Rains comes the spring. Go back before thou art driven.” “Who will drive me?” “Mowgli will drive Mowgli. Go back to thy people. Go to Man.” “When Mowgli drives Mowgli I will go,” Mowgli answered. What if Sarah had waited until "Sarah drove Sarah"? Instead, (as Wikipedia gives us) "she must overcome [Jared] (and therefore this emotion) in order to fufil her quest."
I don't know. Anyway, after that sweet and easy Kipling, I felt like going back to the Russians. show less

I read The Jungle Book while in elementary school decades ago, and I recently re-read it. So the obvious next move was to read The Second Jungle Book, equal parts sequel and anthology of additional short stories. It was a joy to re-read “The King’s Ankus,” probably the best of the Mowgli stories — actually, one of the best short stories, full stop. The book is worth it for this short story alone! As it is now in the public domain, you can read it here: http://famous-and-forgotten-fiction.com/writings/kipling-the-mowgli-stories/kipl....

I also enjoyed “Red Dog,” which I vaguely remembered from more than 50 years ago. New to me was touching “The Miracle of Purun Bhagat” and “Letting in the Jungle” (a suspenseful tale show more that takes place after Mowgli returns from his time among human villagers), both of which I enjoyed. I’m so glad for this re-read. show less

Since I have not read the first Jungle Book, the Mowgli stories were a bit hard to follow at times but I did enjoy the non-Jungle stories more than I expected. I was expecting to find the usual Kipling problems of "White Man's Burden" perspective but there was pleasantly little of it.

The book appears to be written for children, but this can be misleading. The story is so much more of than fiction. The author hints at this when he includes in this book lines like "money is the only thing that changes hands but never gets warmer"

Volume Two of Kipling's Jungle Books, containing Rikki-Tikki-tavi and other animal fables; all the Mowgli stories are contained in Volume One. The Mowgli stories are my favorite parts of the Books; in some ways they are superior to the Tarzan books I am so fond of. But the stories herein are worthy also.