The Complete Jungle Book vs The Second Jungle Book: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mowgli, Legends and stories of Animals, Jungle animals, Jungles, Animals, Folklore
The Complete Jungle Book
Presents the adventures of Mowgli, a boy reared by a pack of wolves and the wild animals of the jungle. Also includes other short stories set in India.
vs
The Second Jungle Book
Not so much a sequel as a small collection of short stories, only five of which feature Mowgli and friends. The best known of the stories is 'How Fear Came', which tells the story of how the tiger got his stripes.
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Second Jungle Book is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 4 for The Complete Jungle Book.
- The Complete Jungle Book has the widest readership — 135457 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Complete Jungle Book | The Second Jungle Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (135457) | 3.8 (4465) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (1) | 3.2 (17) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (14) |
Reception
| The Complete Jungle Book | The Second Jungle Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 135457 | 4465 |
| Editions | 71 | 611 |
| Citations | — | 1 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 3661 |
| Reading it now | — | 408 |
| Written reviews | — | 270 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 2907 |
| Pages | 247 | 115 |