STORIES OF THE JUNGLE

Six "Mowgli" stories from Kipling's Jungle Books are read in this charming audiobook collection. Ralph Cosham reads gently and evenly, but without memorable nuance. His style soothes with its air of Victorian authority as he follows the lost "man cub" on his adventures with the wolf pack; Bagheera, the panther; Kaa, the python; and Baloo, the bear. The stories stand on their own, with Kipling giving voice to the beasts of the Indian jungles and to the human child raised in their midst. The listener shouldn't expect the raucous fun of the Disney film; rather, this is an elegant old-world classic likely to entrance young listeners. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 03]