RIKKI-TIKKI-TAVI

RIKKI-TIKKI-TAVI by Rudyard Kipling. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

I loved reading this book to my kids when they were younger. Any day was a great day to read it, but the hot, dry days of summer took us to India where cobras slithered through gardens and a brave mongoose battled for the life of a little boy against these poisonous foes. Such is the story of Kipling's RIKKI-TIKKI-TAVI.

Part of the collection of stories in The Jungle Book, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is set during the days of British colonization of India. (Think of the beginning of The Secret Garden.) Once upon a time in history, John Wilson was known to have said, "The sun never sets on the British Empire," and that is how we come to meet a young boy named Teddy that befriends a mongoose. Named from the war cry that he gives when he attacks snakes, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a fierce fighter that proves his devotion to Teddy multiple times.

ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES - There are so many fun things you can do with this book. First find India on the map. Learn a little bit about British colonization. How about a snake study? Start specifically with cobras and kraits, the two snakes mentioned in this book. You can also learn a lot about mongooses, tailorbirds (Darzee), and muskrats(Chuchundra). Maybe eat some melon while you read the book in honor of where Rikki-Tikki-Tavi finds Nagina's eggs (in the melon patch).