The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Major characters in the stories are animals (Shere Khan the Bengal tiger and Baloo the bear). One major character is a boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. Many stories take place in Seoni, a forest in Madhya Pradesh, India. The stories carry a theme of abandonment and fostering, which mirror Kipling's own life. Also, human's disregard for nature are a theme in the stories. The Jungle Book has been regarded as influential to the scout movement throughout the world.