The Wolf Cub's Handbook
Encyclopedia
The Wolf Cub's Handbook is an instruction handbook written by Baden-Powell
for Wolf Cubs (present-day Cub Scouts) and pack leaders. The book is based on the theme of the jungle, described in a children's book, The Jungle Book
, written by Baden-Powell's friend Rudyard Kipling
.
movement had grown beyond all expectation, but there was growing pressure in Britain, for some kind of scheme for boys who were too young to join the Scouts at 11 years old. Baden-Powell (B-P) asked his deputy, Percy Everett
, to prepare a plan for "Junior Scouts" and the outline was published in the Headquarters Gazette in 1914. B-P was not entirely satisfied with the results, and whilst retaining elements of Everett's scheme, he set about putting his own mark on it. B-P gave the project a theme by basing it on Rudyard Kipling
's Jungle Book, which had been published a decade earlier and was an established favourite with children.
B-P decided to initiate the scheme with a handbook, similar in style to Scouting for Boys
which had so successfully launched the Boy Scouts. He wrote the new handbook in chapters called "bites" because "this book is a meal offered an old Wolf to the young Cubs". He included a precis of the Mowgli
stories from the Jungle Book, and ceremonies and games based on them. Woven into this were instructional passages on health, fitness, camping, observation, knotting, semaphore
, first aid, knitting and "being useful at home".
s of the new book asking for permission to use the Jungle Book material on 28 July 1916, after the work had been sent to the publishers. Kipling returned them in agreement without making any revisions. Kipling and Baden-Powell had first met in India in the 1880s and had remained friends since then. Kipling would eventually be given the honorary title of Commissioner of Wolf Cubs
. Translations were made into a number of languages. The Boy Scouts of America
obtained the rights for the book in the United States and published their own edition in 1918, although Cub Scouts were not officially adopted until 1930 under a modified scheme. Baden-Powell's book remained the official handbook for Cubs in the United Kingdom until the Advance Party Report
of 1966 recommended that less emphasis be placed on the Jungle Book theme.
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
for Wolf Cubs (present-day Cub Scouts) and pack leaders. The book is based on the theme of the jungle, described in a children's book, The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
, written by Baden-Powell's friend Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
.
Origins
By 1913, Baden-Powell's Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
movement had grown beyond all expectation, but there was growing pressure in Britain, for some kind of scheme for boys who were too young to join the Scouts at 11 years old. Baden-Powell (B-P) asked his deputy, Percy Everett
Percy Everett
Sir Percy Winn Everett was an editor-in-chief for the house of Pearson and an active Scouter who became the Deputy Chief Scout of Great Britain....
, to prepare a plan for "Junior Scouts" and the outline was published in the Headquarters Gazette in 1914. B-P was not entirely satisfied with the results, and whilst retaining elements of Everett's scheme, he set about putting his own mark on it. B-P gave the project a theme by basing it on Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's Jungle Book, which had been published a decade earlier and was an established favourite with children.
B-P decided to initiate the scheme with a handbook, similar in style to Scouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...
which had so successfully launched the Boy Scouts. He wrote the new handbook in chapters called "bites" because "this book is a meal offered an old Wolf to the young Cubs". He included a precis of the Mowgli
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
stories from the Jungle Book, and ceremonies and games based on them. Woven into this were instructional passages on health, fitness, camping, observation, knotting, semaphore
Semaphore
A semaphore telegraph, optical telegraph, shutter telegraph chain, Chappe telegraph, or Napoleonic semaphore is a system of conveying information by means of visual signals, using towers with pivoting shutters, also known as blades or paddles. Information is encoded by the position of the...
, first aid, knitting and "being useful at home".
Baden-Powell and Kipling
Baden-Powell sent Kipling the proofGalley proof
In printing and publishing, proofs are the preliminary versions of publications meant for review by authors, editors, and proofreaders, often with extra wide margins. Galley proofs may be uncut and unbound, or in some cases electronic...
s of the new book asking for permission to use the Jungle Book material on 28 July 1916, after the work had been sent to the publishers. Kipling returned them in agreement without making any revisions. Kipling and Baden-Powell had first met in India in the 1880s and had remained friends since then. Kipling would eventually be given the honorary title of Commissioner of Wolf Cubs
Legacy
As intended, the Wolf Cub's Handbook was taken up with enthusiasm in the United Kingdom and across the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Translations were made into a number of languages. The Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
obtained the rights for the book in the United States and published their own edition in 1918, although Cub Scouts were not officially adopted until 1930 under a modified scheme. Baden-Powell's book remained the official handbook for Cubs in the United Kingdom until the Advance Party Report
The Chief Scouts' Advance Party Report
The Chief Scouts' Advance Party Report was a publication produced in 1966 by The Boy Scout Association in the United Kingdom, intended to modernise the Scout Movement...
of 1966 recommended that less emphasis be placed on the Jungle Book theme.