As I grew up watching the Disney version of the Jungle Book, I couldn't help but compare the movie with the book while I read. As I expected, they are very different as far as the overall moral to the story, but Disney actually stayed true to many of the finer details of each character. In the book, I was surprised to find that Mowgli has more interaction with the man village than just as a babe and toward the end (of the movie) where he decides to stay among them. In fact, I found the writing to be more of a commentary on the interaction of man and beast and the need for respect between the two. This book could easily be dissected and interpreted into many themes, symbols, and the like, but it can also be read for pure entertainment. Very much enjoyed this one!

I admit this is not the edition I read, but couldn't find it on the site without the bar code. The one I read also had other short stories by Kipling. (Most likely the Just So Stories.) Those were even more interpretable, and I did not enjoy them nearly as much as the main feature.