Joseph Rudyard Kipling (pron.: / ˈ r ʌ d j ə d ˈ k ɪ p l ɪ ŋ / rud-yəd kip-ling; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist  remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. He was born in Bombay, India, and was taken by his family to England when he was five years old. Kipling is best known for his works of fiction, includingThe Jungle Book (a collection of stories which includes " Rikki-Tikki-Tavi"),Just So Stories (1902), Kim (1901) (a tale of adventure), many short stories, including " The Man Who Would Be King" (1888); and his poems, including "Mandalay" (1890), " Gunga Din" (1890), " The White Man's Burden" (1899) and " If—" (1910). He is regarded as a major "innovator in the art of the short story"; his children's books are enduring classics of children's literature; and his best works are said to exhibit "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Jungle Book