STAGE
2
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
Introduction
This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only
and should not be given to students.
The story
One day in the jungles of India, Mother Wolf and
Father Wolf find a baby boy lost in the jungle – his
parents have been frightened away by the tiger Shere
Khan who is now looking for the baby. Shere Khan is
angry when the wolves do not give the baby boy to
him and vows one day to kill the boy.
Mowgli cannot stay with the wolf pack. For the
The wolf family call the baby ‘little frog’ or Mowgli.
first time he cries. Bagheera tells Mowgli to live with
He is taught the Law of the Jungle by Bagheera, the
humans. He goes far away and is adopted by Messau
black panther and Baloo, the old brown bear. Mowgli
whose son had recently been killed by a tiger. Mowgli
sometimes does not want to learn. One day when
learns all about money and how to speak and work.
Baloo hits Mowgli gently for not listening to a lesson,
But one day Grey Brother, his wolf brother, comes to
Mowgli gets angry and goes off to play with the
the village and tells Mowgli that Shere Khan is looking
Monkey-People. Bagheera and Baloo warn Mowgli
for him. Mowgli is ready for the tiger and with the
that the Monkey-People are noisy, dirty and not to be
help of Akela and Grey Wolf, Mowgli traps the tiger
trusted. But it is too late. The Monkey-People carry
in a ravine. Here the tiger is killed by buffaloes. When
Mowgli off to the Lost City where they live. Bagheera
Buldeo, the village hunter, tries to take Shere Khan’s
and Baloo ask Kaa, the python, to help free Mowgli who
skin from Mowgli, Mowgli asks his friends in wolf
is now a prisoner of the Monkey-People. There is a very
language for help. They knock Buldeo to the ground.
hard fight and although Mowgli’s friends are hurt they
When Mowgli returns, the villagers tell him to go
are saved by Kaa. He hypnotizes all the monkeys and
away or be killed. Mowgli goes back to Mother Wolf’s
Mowgli and the others escape.
cave and shows her Shere Khan’s coat. She is happy to
Mowgli promises to give Kaa his next kill from
see him as is Bagheera. Mowgli lays the coat on a rock
hunting, as a way of thanking Kaa for saving his life.
at the meeting place for Akela to lie on and calls the
Bagheera must now punish Mowgli for breaking the
wolves to see it. He thens goes into the jungle with his
Law of the Jungle – he hits him with his great paw.
Grey Brother and the other wolf cubs and hunts with
At one of the regular meetings of the Wolf Pack
his brothers. He will never live in a man village again.
Mowgli learns something new: no wolf can meet the
gaze of his eyes. Because of this, Shere Khan is able
background to the story
to make friends with some of the younger wolves in an
Wolves look after their own cubs with almost human
attempt to turn them against Mowgli. When Akela, the
devotion. There are many stories told about wolves
leader of the pack, cannot kill his deer, the pack meets
raising babies alongside their cubs. All the wolves
to choose a new leader and decide what to do with the
in a pack share the duty of taking care of the cubs.
man-cub, Mowgli. Akela is a protector of Mowgli but
While the pack goes off to hunt, an adult wolf, not
must face the pack and fight for his life. Mowgli is now
necessarily the mother, will stay to watch over the
on his own in the pack. Bagheera warns him to get
cubs. Wolves cannot catch their own food until about
some fire from the men in the village. So, that evening
six months old, and are totally dependent on the meat
when Shere Khan is about to persuade the wolves
other wolves bring back for them.
to let him kill Mowgli, Mowgli brings out the fire and
beats Shere Khan on the head with a burning stick. He
promises to kill Shere Khan one day and tells the pack
that Akela must live.
79
STAGE
2
The Jungle Book
Pre-reading activity
Word square
Find the names of ten animals in the word square.
A
F
V
Z
B
M
O
N
K
E
Y
B
T
P
O
G
P
X
P
Z
U
X
K
Q
U
T
V
W
K
Y
T
J
A
C
K
A
L
O
T
F
Z
P
I
X
I
S
N
D
N
W
A
F
F
R
M
Y
T
F
G
F
T
S
Q
O
C
E
X
O
F
T
E
P
E
O
H
A
Z
L
B
S
D
G
A
H
O
U
R
B
E
A
R
F
U
V
F
Y
E
O
A
Y
W
X
R
P
O
A
M
O
S
L
Q
N
To the teacher
Aim: To introduce key vocabulary
the animals ask them to think of adjectives that they
Time: 10–15 minutes
associate with the animals.
Organization: Give students or groups of students
Key: wolf, tiger, jackal, frog, bear, panther, monkey,
a copy of the worksheets. When they have found all
snake, kite, python
PHOTOCOPIABLE
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
80
STAGE
2
The Jungle Book
While reading activity
Who’s who?
1 Akela
8 has a big roar.
15 cannot leave the
Lost City.
22 let Mowgli join
their family.
2 Sher
Khan
9 helps Mowgli
escape from the
Monkey-People.
16 is the leader of
the pack.
23 wants to kill
Mowgli.
3 Baloo
10 runs away with
the Monkey People.
17 is a big python.
24 protect Mowgli
when he is a baby.
4 Bagheera
11 is a great grey
wolf.
18 eats monkeys.
25 is a black
panther.
5 Mowgli
12 gets bored with
his lessons.
19 want to look
after Mowgli.
26 cannot get into
Mother Wolf and
Father Wolf’s cave.
6 Kaa
13 teaches wolf cubs
the Law of the
Jungle.
20 promises to teach
Mowgli.
27 is a sleepy bear.
7
14 thinks Mowgli
will be useful one
day.
21 is clever and
strong.
28 buys the life of
Mowgli with a
cow.
Mother
Wolf and
Father
Wolf
To the teacher
Where: At the end of Chapter 3
Organization: Give students or groups of students
Aim: To revise events and characters in the story
a copy of the worksheet and ask them to match
so far
up the names in the column with the events or
Time: 15–20 minutes
characteristics in the next two columns.
81
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE
STAGE
2
The Jungle Book
After reading activity
Who says what to whom?
QUOTATION
1
‘The man’s cub belongs to
me! We will not kill him’
2
‘Men are clever. Perhaps this
man-cub will help us when he
is older. Take him away.’
3
‘They are noisy and dirty,
and they think that they are
a great people, but then they
forget everything.’
4
‘I will teach them not to call
me bad names.’
5
‘You have given me your life
tonight. When I kill it will be
for you if you are hungry.’
6
‘One day you must kill Shere
Khan. If you don’t kill him,
he will kill you.’
7
‘Not even I can look in your
eyes. That is why they want
to kill you . . .’
8
‘I will take this tiger coat.
I can sell it for a hundred
rupees, and you can have one
rupee for yourself.’
WHO’S
SPEAKING?
WHO TO?
WHAT ABOUT?
To the teacher
Aim: To help understand the plot and develop a
Key: 1: Mother Wolf to Shere Khan about Mowgli;
sense of character
2: Akela to Father Wolf about Mowgli; 3: Bahloo to
Time: 10–15 minutes
Mowgli about the Monkey-People; 4: Kaa to Bagheera
Organization: Give out the worksheet. Students can
about Monkey-People; 5: Mowgli to Kaa about his
work alone or in pairs. Ask them to identify who said
rescue; 6: Mother Wolf to Mowgli about Shere Khan;
these words, who to and when. The quotations are
7: Bagheera to Mowgli about the younger wolves;
in the same order as in the book. Check the answers
8: Buldea, the village hunter to Mowgli about Shere
together as a class.
Khan
PHOTOCOPIABLE
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
82