Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling

Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling is a short story written primarily for children. The title character, Rikki Tikki Tavi, is a young mongoose who is washed away from his home by a flood. Though half choked, a British family that has come to India to live for an undetermined time in a bungalow nearby, find him and nurse him back to health. Rikki Tikki quickly makes friends with Teddy, the youngest member of the family, as well as Teddy's mother Alice, and Teddy's father (whose name we are not told) though Teddy is clearly Rikki Tikki's favorite. The day after he is saved by the family, Rikki Tikki is exploring the garden, and encounters two agressive cobras, Nag, and Nagaina, a male and female cobra who try to ambush the young mongoose, but fail at killing Rikki when a pair of Taylor birds warn Rikki that one of the cobras is coming at him from behind. Later, when Rikki discovers Karait, a small, dusty brown snake threatening Rikki's beloved Teddy, the young mongoose goes on the defensive, and successfully defends his human friend. But Nag and Nagaina are still out there! Rikki Tikki Tavi is an enjoyable tale, especially for children. And it can get them excited to learn more about real life animals in India. Rikki Tikki Tavi was first published in 1894.