#474 - Fierce-Face the Tiger : Jungle Stories
by Dhan Gopal Mukherji
“Fierce-Face the Tiger : Jungle Stories” by Dhan Gopal Mukherji. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. Two classic stories set in the jungles of India featuring growing up and friendship with memorable protagonists.
The book contains two of the finest creations of the author who wrote so passionately about the wildlife and forests of India. He was a celebrated writer in the west and the only writer from India to have won the prestigious Newbery Medal for his writing for children. While Fierce Face the Tiger is a story of the growing up of a tiger, Kari the Elephant portrays the soulful bonding between a captive elephant and a young boy who is his mahout.
The story of Fierce Face starts with his birth to Bagni the tigress. She starts teaching him the ways of a tiger. He starts out learning bravely and obediently. He needs to learn not just hunting for food but also protecting himself from other male tigers including his own father. He needs to know where to fight and which creatures need to be avoided by figuring out their behaviour. He also needs to learn to survive in the face of adversities and dangers such as fire, droughts etc. Last but not the least, by any means possible he needs to conquer his fears as well as his environment in order to rule it.
Kari the elephant is gentle, graceful, loyal and strong. He forms a heartwarming bond with his mahout who is a nine year old boy at the beginning of the story. The story tells us of adventures that the two get into and what the boy learns about Kari and elephants in general. In the end, Kari finds the world of humans too much to bear despite his kind nature. Read the book to know what Kari does and how Fierce Face lives in the jungle.
The book proved to be enthralling for both me and my nine year old like other books that we have read by the author earlier. The writing style paints such a vivid picture of the jungles and its creatures that we feel as if we are watching the events unfold in front of our eyes. The narrative gives an insight into why animals behave in a particular way in different kinds of situations. I am not sure if everything is scientifically accurate but it definitely felt logical and gives clarity about certain animal behaviours that we know of. The bonding between the young boy and the elephant portrayed in Kari’s story was delightful. We felt so sad when Kari was pushed to his brink by humans who did not care about animals. The rules of the jungle that came across at various instances in the stories is something that we found quite interesting.
P.S - The other books by the author that we have enjoyed reading are “The Adventures of Sirdar : The Chief of the Herd” and “The Cat Who Became King and Other Stories From India”.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9 and above.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Talking Cub here.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!