The Jungle Book (BBC Children's Classics)

By: Rudyard Kipling

Narrated by: Eartha Kitt, Freddie Jones, Jonathan Hyde, Nisha K. Mayer

A full-cast dramatisation of Kipling's classic animal adventure, starring Eartha Kitt.

Rudyard Kipling's famous tale tells the story of Mowgli, the "man-cub" rescued from the tiger Shere Khan and adopted by a wolf pack.

As he grows up, Mowgli learns the ways of the jungle from Baloo the bear, Bagheera the black panther, and Kaa the rock python. His life is full of adventure with the jungle creatures, but soon the time comes when he is forced to leave and take his place among his own people.

A kind woman looks after Mowgli, but she can't protect him from the superstitious villagers who believe his friendship with wolves is the result of sorcery. Mowgli's only escape is to return to the jungle. But even the jungle has become a dangerous place.

This rich and entertaining dramatisation skilfully blends words with jungle sounds and music, and stars Eartha Kitt as Kaa, Freddie Jones as Baloo, Jonathan Hyde as Bagheera and Nisha K. Mayer as Mowgli.

©2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)1995 BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Beautiful

The voice acting, the music, we love it all. At 4years the monkey scene was too scary for my son, but at 5 he loves it. So good!

Great dramatization

Good for our whole family! Great voice acting and sound effects kept everyone’s attention ages 6 to adult.

Captivating

My 4 year old son listens to this on repeat. The actors are extremely engaging, the music is delightful, the story is both easy to follow and easy to jump in anywhere.

Great for me and my 3 year old son

Wonderful legendary performances. I wanted my little guy to hear the true tale before getting exposed to Disney’s watered down version. Kaa in particular is such an important and powerful character!!! She’s so cheated by the mainstream telling

Stops after 5 minutes and won't work.

What disappointed you about The Jungle Book (BBC Children's Classics)?

We weren't able to actually listen to the book. It kept stopping and restarting. We tried on several devices and this was true for all of them.

What did you like best about this story?

I adore the story and the performance (what I heard of it) was lovely.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A very soothing voice.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I would like to know if/when the issue is resolved.

Any additional comments?

Please fix it!

Painful

Eartha Kitt is always fun, but even her guest appearance couldn't relieve the tedium - and eventual torture - of this production.

We listened to it during a road trip. The kids enjoyed it for awhile, but their 67-year-old grandmother soon showed signs of cracking. She kept whispering to me, "it has to be over soon, right?" But the awfulness just went on and on.

Don't buy this audiobook. You'll regret it, and so will every other adult within earshot.