The Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling's 1894 collection of stories is set mostly in a dry forest in India. Its main human character is Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves after a tiger drives off his parents, who is threatened by the tiger Shere Khan and learns the law of the jungle from Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther. Other tales include Rikki-tikki-tavi, about a mongoose facing the cobra Nag, and Toomai of the Elephants. The stories work as fables, using animals to teach lessons about law and loyalty, and owe part of their inspiration to the Panchatantra, the Jataka tales and other ancient Indian fables. Kipling wrote them while living in Vermont.

Richard Branson named it on his list of 65 books to read over a lifetime.