Less a single book and more a collection of short stories and related poetry. Kipling clearly had a deep love of India, at least as much as a through-and-through colonial could have. For instance, he doesn't seem to mind taking parts of the culture and making up his own lore and poems rather than showing any interest in the real thing. Cultural appropriation doesn't seem to cover it. It's more like cultural fanfiction. There's also a few instances of racism here and there, but honestly, for the time and place, it's nothing too egregious.

Like Jack London, Kipling also appears to have had a deep love for wild places and creatures. However, unlike London, Kipling doesn't seem to understand them all that well. Or, at least, he doesn't seem to care about demonstrating his understanding. I guess it's wilderness fanfiction. Animals talk with very human attitudes and it's all a bit more Charlotte's Web than anything. I can see why Disney decided it was ripe for adaptation.

I think I actually most enjoyed the last story, in which all the different domesticated (or at least tamed) beasts of burden discussed their roles in a war and what frightened them and why they obeyed humans. It was less Charlotte's Web and more Animal Farm, and it actually made me think and even laugh a little in places. It was also the least like the other stories in the collection, so maybe it's more a case of me damning the rest of the book rather than praising this section.