Often regarded as classic stories told by an adults to children, "The Jungle Books" also constitute a complex literary work of art in which the whole of Kipling's philosophy of life is expressed in miniature. They are best known for the "Mowgli" stories; the tale of a baby abandoned and brought up by wolves, educated in the ways and secrets of the jungle by Kaa the python, Baloo the bear, and Bagheera the black panther. The stories, a mixture of fantasy, myth and magic, are underpinned by Kipling's abiding preoccupation with the theme of self-discovery, and the nature of the "law".