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 pare...
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Mar 22, 2011
Kathryn
rated it: 
I would have given this book 5 stars but I HATE SNAKES. So, with that in mind, I would like a mongoose as a pet if they truly do have the personality told in the story. But I think I would have to have snakes for him to fight off, so maybe not. The version I read was illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and that was a true pleasure in and of itself. He writes a wonderful story of his coming to illustrate these types of books on the last page of the book. I am so enjoying rereading or reading for th
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Nov 19, 2008
Sommer
rated it: 
Are you serious, this is the book that made me a book nerd. The cobra's were so scary to me when my mother would read this book to me. Oh and the movie, even scarier with those glowing cobra emblems on their heads. Poor ricki, so brave.
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Oct 13, 2010
Kathryn
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Well, I can't say how much I actually "enjoyed" this story but it was well told. This is the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a brave mongoose who protects an English family in India by waging war with the cobras in the garden. The animals in the story are vibrant characters and I like that a few divergent points of view are raised (such as, if the mongoose eats cobra eggs, why is it not fair for the cobras to eat bird eggs; if a mother bird wants to protect her babies, why shouldn't a mot
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Sep 28, 2009
Shanna
rated it:
There are two schools of thought regarding illustrated adaptations of literary classics. One school holds that stories that are simplified for early listeners can be ruined in the process, because the listener's first experience doesn't contain the beauty and depth of the original. The second school holds that well-written adaptations can serve as stepping-stones to original works, making them more accessible. I am still between the two camps, but in making decisions about specific classic ti
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Nov 26, 2011
Nour
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wooooowwwwww !!!!what an amazing story !!!!1 it talks about a mongooose called rikki tikki which got next a bungalow in india after a flood.in the veranda of the bungalow,he found 2 birds darzee and his wife which told him about the 2 snakes nag and nagaina.rikki wanted to kill nag and nagaina but once a snake called karait that got in a fight with rikki and he got dead.then rikki heard nag and nagaina from behind the wall talking and saying that they want to kill teddy and his family to own the
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Mar 21, 2008
sarafem
rated it:
I confess that I have always avoided Kipling because I find The Jungle Book to be completely obnoxious and can't bear to give him another chance. However, one of my students yesterday left this in the classroom and I picked it up out of curiosity. I love this book! This is a story about the chances you take for love and how one can protect their families when called upon to do it. It's reading level is 6.4 but I think even very young children will enjoy this tale.
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Dec 20, 2008
Mike The Don
rated it:
For those of you who've ever seen a Disney movie as a child and continued taking pleasure in the thought that those stories are being told to the kids of the present will definitely get a kick out of this book.
Riki-Tiki-Tavi personifies a mongoose who is a natural born snake hunter. When the family who adopted him becomes endangered by a nasty family of Cobras, Riki-Tiki-Tavi decides to take them on.
The book is written from the perspective of Rikit-Tiki-Tavi. Keep in mind, he's a mon More...
Riki-Tiki-Tavi personifies a mongoose who is a natural born snake hunter. When the family who adopted him becomes endangered by a nasty family of Cobras, Riki-Tiki-Tavi decides to take them on.
The book is written from the perspective of Rikit-Tiki-Tavi. Keep in mind, he's a mon More...
Mar 16, 2011
Logan
rated it: 
Logan listened to this as an audio book, read by Michael York and published by Weston Woods. I can't figure out how to add that, as there is no isbn# for downloadable electronic files. Anyway, I did notice that the text is "adapted" by Pinkney, which is sad, but I couldn't find an audio book of Kipling's original text that wasn't abridged and I like Michael York, so there you are. Logan enjoyed the story and has listened to it several times, although I think it was a little scary for h
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Dec 21, 2011
Dolly
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This was a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale. My hubby and I both remember this one from our childhood, so we wanted our girls to hear it too. My husband talked about the story a lot and our oldest finally brought this book home from her elementary school library. The story that I remember from my childhood seemed a bit different, but I'm not sure which version it was and it was over thirty years ago.
In any case, we enjoyed the story and we loved the illustrations. More...
In any case, we enjoyed the story and we loved the illustrations. More...
Nov 25, 2011
well i liked the book for many reasons but i liked it mostly because it was scary and it included snakes and fights adventurous and u cant stop reading it until u know what will happen in the end other stuff.... but what i dislike its toooo long plus the names are confusing :| (but the teacher told us the names so i reunderstood them) its a book that talks about a mangoose who got seperated from his family by a flood but then a famlily foud him and warmed him up after he saw the house he went o
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Jul 13, 2008
Danny
rated it:
I read this at a quite young age, and was fascinated/fearful, not being old enough to know that all would end well. I remember the cobras being very realistic and sinister, and the little mongoose being very brave and faithful.
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Sep 13, 2007
Pinky
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Another of my childhood favourites. WHo can not fall in love with such a strong protective little weasel lke Rikki Tikki Tavi? I still want a ferret because of my love of this character. This was my Velveteen Rabbit.
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Jun 06, 2008
Raegan
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I read this book because I have 4 ferrets and what is a ferret but a form of mongoose? This is a great story. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a heroic little beast and I enjoyed this quite a bit. Good stuff.
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Sep 24, 2007
Hannah
rated it:
I really enjoyed this story. I first read it when I was 8 and I liked it from the very beginning. It's a quick, easy, and enjoyable read! Besides, how could you go wrong with a name like Rikki Tikki Tavi?
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Nov 26, 2011
Lama
rated it:
I really enjoyed the book because the plot is different than any other book. The mongoose - Rikki Tikki - kills the snakes, Nag and Nagini, which wanted to harm the people. He only wanted to be a house pet and to save the garden to protect Teddy's family. All Rikki wanted was a place to stay to feel safe and loved.
What I did not like in the story was when Rikki Tikki was taken away from his family because of a summer high flood that washed him out of his borrow.
I recomme More...
What I did not like in the story was when Rikki Tikki was taken away from his family because of a summer high flood that washed him out of his borrow.
I recomme More...
Mar 20, 2008
Heidi
rated it:
This story unnerved me when I first read it. But after seeing the cartoon made of it? Oh my word! Scary!!! For a time I think I wanted to own a mongoose just so I could feel safe again.
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Oct 13, 2008
Paige
rated it:
Reminds me of childhood. I made my dad read me this book over and over and over. I also think it may have something to do with my severe dislike of snakes.
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Jun 22, 2009
Jen
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I picked this up because this book was featured in a 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' questions- it was which country does it take place in? I narrowed the answer to two but wasn't sure that it was India. It is. So when I saw the book on the shelf I grabbed it because I obviously do not remember the story well enough.
Its a good story, lots of action. When I was in 6th grade my science teacher had a stuffed model of a mongoose and a cobra fighting. That always stuck with me. Its a good More...
Its a good story, lots of action. When I was in 6th grade my science teacher had a stuffed model of a mongoose and a cobra fighting. That always stuck with me. Its a good More...
Jan 29, 2012
Raj
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Kipling gets a bit of a bad rep these days but I enjoyed this collection of children's stories. The stories all come from Kipling's other work, including both Jungle Books and The Just-So Stories and often have a moral at the end. I've not read much Kipling so I hadn't encountered that many of these before (only the ones from the first Jungle Book). There is also some poetry in the book, including His Apologies, a lovely, sad poem about a dog.
I think Kipling needs to be seen in the c More...
I think Kipling needs to be seen in the c More...
Apr 01, 2008
Erica
rated it:
SPL
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was originally written between 1854 and 1855 as part of a collection titled Jungle Books. Kipling, using his childhood memories of India, set the story of the little mongoose in a bungalow in Allahabad. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a young mongoose who is taken in by an English family after nearly drowning. He soon becomes a hero by protecting their young son from a deadly snake. A war begins between Rikki and two cobras, Nag and Nagaina, who want to rid the garden of the More...
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was originally written between 1854 and 1855 as part of a collection titled Jungle Books. Kipling, using his childhood memories of India, set the story of the little mongoose in a bungalow in Allahabad. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a young mongoose who is taken in by an English family after nearly drowning. He soon becomes a hero by protecting their young son from a deadly snake. A war begins between Rikki and two cobras, Nag and Nagaina, who want to rid the garden of the More...
Jul 28, 2010
Mary
rated it:
my first large book to read as a child. Short stories by Rudyard Kipling. Riki Tiki Tavi was hiddened among them. It was the beginning of my imagination revealing the characters in the story. The book was illustrated by Kipling but, trying to dream about the characters was the best part.
I began reading the book in the summer, the year I turned 10. I thought myself very grown up to read a book that was so large and heavy. I carried everywhere I went that summer.
I began reading the book in the summer, the year I turned 10. I thought myself very grown up to read a book that was so large and heavy. I carried everywhere I went that summer.
Jun 04, 2009
Leslie
rated it:
This was a library book that we rechecked out because my 6 yr old son wanted to hear it every single night before bed. During the day, the played games he made up from the story. He has since collected toy snakes and we find them all over the house and yard. He was spellbound by this one. I am delighted because I loved the cartoon movie when I was a kid and found a dvd of it which he liked, but not as much as this book. Suppose I'll have to buy it.
Jan 30, 2012
Chris
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So Kipling was an imperialist. Who cares? This is one of the greatest short stories ever written. I know, I know. Everyone raves about Mowgli. Forget him - Rikki-Tikki-Tavi all the way. Why Disney didn't make this one into a movie, I don't know. I can still remember the first time I read this.
Kipling's tale is about young mongoose who must protect his family. Think cute and cuddly, but with sharp teeth. A perfectly thrilling tale.
Kipling's tale is about young mongoose who must protect his family. Think cute and cuddly, but with sharp teeth. A perfectly thrilling tale.
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Jan 08, 2012
GrayLady
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I really enjoyed this story. When my dad found out that I had read it, he told me that he used to tell the story to me when I was little and that I didn't like it. But now I see that it is a great story. The first time I read it on my own without my dad telling it to me was at school. The teacher assigned characters to some of us and every time that character spoke, we had to read their dialogue. I was assigned to Nag. I loved reading his part. I think being involved in the story made me like it
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May 03, 2010
Travis
rated it:
Great little story, set in India, about a boy that adopts a young mongoose.
The Rikki's battle to protect the family's land from a family of snakes takes on an epic adventure feel worthy of Conan.
Kipling creates a real world inhabited by small woodland animals that operates on a different level than the people world. Part fairy tale and part Watership Down.
The Rikki's battle to protect the family's land from a family of snakes takes on an epic adventure feel worthy of Conan.
Kipling creates a real world inhabited by small woodland animals that operates on a different level than the people world. Part fairy tale and part Watership Down.
Aug 24, 2010
ara133photography
rated it: 
I haven't read this in ages, but I remember being afraid of it! The funny thing is, I still say "rikki tikki tavi" on occasion - it just pops into my head! If nothing else, this book is very memorable! :) One star because i have memories of really hating it, but I think my Dad must have liked it because he used to read it a lot!
Sep 16, 2011
Heather
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I found this book in Stratford, Ontario and brought it home as a present for my then 5-year-old son. It has been a favorite read-aloud book ever since. This is an "adaptation," which I take to mean abridged, but the illustrations are so beautiful and vibrant they make the story come alive.
Nov 27, 2011
rikki tikki is an amazing story that talks about a heroic mangoose that saves the annimals in a garden from dangerous snakes. He also saved the people that lived in the house that he was dragged to by a summer flood.Amazing story hope that all of u would read it.AMAZINGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
Jul 12, 2010
Benedict
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I have listened to several readings of this story. Rudyard Kipling is one of the authors I most admire for his story telling ability.
He evokes a certain India in my mind and creates a special place in my heart for the people and their history.
A charming story for the kids.
He evokes a certain India in my mind and creates a special place in my heart for the people and their history.
A charming story for the kids.
Apr 04, 2011
This story used to scare me so bad, but thats why i loved it so much as a child. The snakes are exaggerated to be slithery, sneaky and scary but Rikki Tikki Tavi was a brave little mongoose and that's what makes the book so loveable. He's so adorable! This story is a classic.
