Mogli, a child lost in the Indian jungle, wanders into a pack of wolves, who welcome and take care of him. With them, the boy will learn many tricks and laws of the jungle, but also gains the friendship of the animals who lives there, and the jungle becomes his home. The book is written for children, with animals that have friendly characters. Half the book is the story of Mogli; the rest is a collection of diverse tales about various animals, living their life: a seal, an elephant, a mongoose.
Other animal stories in The Jungle Books range from the dramatic battle between good and evil in 'Rikki-tikki-tavi' to the macabre comedy 'The Undertakers'. With The Jungle Books Rudyard Kipling drew on ancient beast fables, Buddhist philosophy and memories of his Anglo-Indian childhood to create a rich, symbolic portrait of man and nature, and an eternal classic of childhood. Kipling’s stories have become a classic. But they are also deeply moral tales teaching respect for authority, obedience, and knowing one's place in a society with "the law of the jungle".