DIGITAL TOUR: Jerry Pinkney: Imaginings

Rikki Tikki Tavi (1997)

Carefully observed, animal behavior and the distinct creature characteristics are reflected in Pinkney’s images for Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, which feature Nag and Nagaina, two giant cobras who rear their sinister heads, and Darzee and the birds, who sing out messages of joy and warning. Shifting visual perspectives, from a birds-eye to worms-eye view, create a sense of drama and excitement that brings readers eye-to-eye with the animal kingdom.

The tale of a courageous mongoose, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is one of Rudyard Kipling’s most memorable stories from The Jungle Book, which was first published in 1894. The artist’s exquisite illustrations of the lush Eden-like gardens surrounding young Teddy’s home in India set the stage for this story about good and evil, and the irrepressible spirit of the tale’s main character, the mongoose Rikki-Tikki.