The Jungle Book Teacher Resources

Mowgli, Baloo, and Shere Khan may be some of Rudyard Kipling’s most recognizable characters from his 1859 work The Jungle Book, but Kipling’s vivid descriptions of 19th-century India, present in both Mowgli’s adventures and the series of short animal-themed fables, has made a popular book into an enduring work of art.

Introduce the story to your class with a slideshow about the characters and plot elements in the book, and compare them with their representation in the 1967 Disney film. Additionally, you can focus on the elements of grammar in the movie’s famous song “I Wanna Be Like You” with a lesson on song lyrics, or host a debate on the merit of film adaptations.

Connect the story to a science lesson on the food chain, and examine who consumes who in Kipling’s jungle. Or if you’d like a shorter assignment, you can use a quick Jungle Book–themed word search and maze worksheet.

Want to focus on the other short stories in The Jungle Book? Check out audio versions of “The Elephant’s Child,” “How The Camel Got His Hump,” and “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.” For a more thorough look at “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” bring in a lesson on the connection between illustrations and words, and the most effective ways to convey meaning.