We visited the zoo today and spent a long time in the reptile house, examining all the snakes. First Son has a new interest in snakes as we've been listening to Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
, retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. We have a book and CD from the library. He wouldn't let me read it to him at first, but we listened to it in the car a few times and now he loves it. First Daughter, of course, loves what he loves, so they both insist the king cobra is their favorite snake. (No one's picking the mongoose.)As this is a retelling, I've recently requested the real thing from the library. (I have to wait, though. Can you believe someone has already checked it out?) I have to admit I've tried to read some other stories by Rudyard Kipling and have never been that impressed, but I'm not a five year old boy. I'm willing to consider adding The Jungle Book
to our homeschool plans. Does anyone know which version is unadulterated and beautifully illustrated? (I have a set of Kipling's books inherited from my grandparents, but they're in a bunch of little green books with lots of words on a page and no pictures.)
