Mowgli's Brothers - Hardcover

Now listeners of all ages can enjoy four of Kipling's adventurous jungle stories in unabridged form. Cosham gives appropriate voices to all the jungle animals--including Mowgli, the man-cub; Baloo, the wise brown bear; Bagheera, the black panther; Shere Khan, the sinister tiger. He reads in a clear, relaxed manner which holds the listener's attention and effectively uses pacing and intonation to communicate the tension of the tales, as well as the subtle humor. The inclusion of some of Kipling's lesser-known stories may lead children who are familiar with the Disney production to seek out the books. Good family entertainment to listen to again and again. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Grade 3-6-This oversized volume, containing a single story from Kipling's Jungle Book, is illustrated with black-and-white wood engravings, ranging in size from full page to small depictions of a single animal or plant. While the style won't immediately appeal to children, Wormell, a master of the medium, has created some memorable images, such as Akela, leader of the wolves, lying on his rock before the gathered pack; or Mowgli hunkered down among the wolves, picking burrs from their fur. The paper, which is a heavy, textured stock, changes every few pages from muted green to orange to shades of gray. Unfortunately, since the engravings are rather dark, there is not always sufficient contrast to see the details easily. In fact, the pictures on the endpapers, which are on muted orange stock printed with a slightly brighter ink, are all but indistinguishable. The text, in rather small type, is arranged in a narrow column, bound by a thin gray line on the left side. Even when small illustrations are added, there is at least as much margin as printing on each page. Although interesting, this offering has a formal elegance that is likely to appeal more to adults than to children.
Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.