Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - by Rudyard Kipling & Jerry Pinkney

About the Book

Rikki, a fearless young mongoose, finds himself locked in a life-or-death struggle to protect a boy and his parents from Nag and Nagina, two enormous cobras, in this entertaining story by Nobel Prize-winning author Rudyard Kipling. Triumphantly brought to life in stunning watercolors by Caldecott Honor artist Jerry Pinkney, this tale will win the hearts of young and old alike. Full color.

Book Synopsis

This gorgeous picture book edition of the classic story from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book was adapted and illustrated by beloved award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney.

"A beautiful edition for reading aloud," proclaimed Booklist. "Excitement and danger ebb and flow throughout," added Kirkus.

Soon after a flood washes Rikki into the garden of a family, he comes face-to-face with Nag and Nagaina, two giant cobras. The snakes are willing to attack Rikki, and even the human family who lives there, to claim the garden and house for themselves. But they do not count on the heart and pride of the brave little mongoose.

Jerry Pinkney was "widely acclaimed for his picture books honoring his Black heritage as well as for his richly detailed works reimagining well-loved fairy and folktales," noted Publishers Weekly. His version of The Lion & the Mouse by Aesop was awarded the Caldecott Medal, and his books also received five Caldecott Honor citations. He was recognized with two lifetime achievement awards: the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now known as the Children's Literature Legacy Award) and the Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Award.

From the Back Cover

Here is the thrilling story of Rikki, a fearless young mongoose who finds himself locked in a life-and-death struggle to protect a boy and his parents from Nag and Nagaina, the two enormous cobras who stalk the gardens outside the familys home in India. Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kiplings timeless masterpiece has been lovingly passed from one generation of readers to the next. Triumphantly brought to life in stunning watercolors from Caldecott Honor artist Jerry Pinkney, this is a tale that will win the hearts of young and old alike

Review Quotes

In this glorious picture book, Pinkney's accessible retelling and dramatic watercolors plunge readers into the lush garden Rikki rules and the life of the family he comes to guard. The large pictures (often spreading across much of a facing page) can barely contain the mongoose's energy as his lithe body twists and turns, evading and attacking the cobras and the brown snake, curling in young Teddy's arms, and basking in the family's adulation. Pinkney's humans are not idealized, and Rikki, while eminently pettable, is not anthropomorphized. The subdued natural colors of the animals contrast with the garden's riot. The splash of a yellow squash blossom; Teddy's crimson shirt; a scarlet hibiscus, or the burnished head of Darzee, the tailor bird, add grace notes to the shimmering pages. This great story has been given the loving treatment it deserves.
" School Library Journal

"Pinkney applies his considerable talents to the smooth retelling and lush illustration of one of Kipling's best-loved animal tales.... A captivating work." "Publishers Weekly, " 6/2/97