''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'' is an instructional handbook on

Wolf Cubs Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

training, published in various editions since December 1916. Early editions were written and illustrated by

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

with later editions being extensively rewritten by others. The book has a theme based on

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...

'' jungle setting and characters.

Origins

In 1914,

The Boy Scouts Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...

of the United Kingdom had

Percy Everett Sir Percy Winn Everett (b. 22 April 1870 Rushmere, Ipswich – 23 February 1952 Elstree) was an editor-in-chief for the publisher C. Arthur Pearson Limited and an active Scouter who became the Deputy Chief Scout of The Boy Scouts Association.T.C. ...

prepare a programme for boys who were too young to be Boy Scouts (at about 11 years old). An outline of his "Junior Scouts" program was published in the

Headquarters Gazette ''Scouting'' magazine was a bi-monthly publication of The Scout Association. The magazine included information, resources and support for both young people and adults involved with The Scout Association and Scouting. It was supplied free of direct ...

in 1914. However, Baden-Powell wanted something quite different from a watered down Boy Scout program and recognised that too close an association between the junior program and the Boy Scouts would detract from both. Baden-Powell wanted a junior scheme with distinct name, uniform and other identity and program. In 1916, Baden-Powell published his own outlines for such a scheme, which was to be called Wolf Cubs. Baden-Powell retained elements of Everett's plan but gave it a theme by basing it on

's ''Jungle Book'', which had been published in 1894 and was an established favourite with children. The Wolf Cubs scheme was given a publicity launch at The Boy Scouts Association's Imperial Headquarters in

Buckingham Palace Road Buckingham Palace Road is a street that runs through Victoria, London, from the south side of Buckingham Palace towards Chelsea, forming the A3214 road. It is dominated by Victoria Station. History In the 18th century, the road was known as ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, on Saturday 24 June 1916. Baden-Powell wrote a book for the scheme, ''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'', which was published in December 1916. The book included a

précis Précis () or precis may refer to: *an abridgement or summary **Critical précis, a type of written text ** IRAC case brief, in law * ''Précis'' (album), a 2006 music album * ''Precis'' (butterfly), a genus of butterflies *Mitsubishi Precis, a ma ...

of the ''

Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" (co ...

'' 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 (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

, first aid, knitting and "being useful at home". The chapters are called "bites" because ''"this book is a meal offered by an old Wolf to the young Cubs"''. The first edition did not contain details of badges or tests. In late 1916, Baden-Powell met

Vera Barclay Vera Charlesworth Barclay (1893–1989) co-founder of Cubs 1916, was an English pioneer of Scouting and an author. She was an early exponent of female leadership in the Scout movement and played a leading role in the introduction of the Wolf Cu ...

, a young Scouter from

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

who had written in the ''Headquarters Gazette'' about female leadership in the Scout Movement during wartime. Barclay accepted the offer of the post of Wolf Cub Secretary at The Boy Scouts Association Headquarters. Barclay and Baden-Powell devised the details of the Wolf Cub training program, badges and tests which were included in the second edition.

Baden-Powell and Kipling

Baden-Powell's grand howl illustration in The Wolf Cub's Handbook 1916

Baden-Powell sent Kipling the

proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a con ...

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. Kipling would eventually be given the honorary title of ''

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

of Wolf Cubs''

Legacy

''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'' was adopted as The Boy Scouts Association's official handbook for its Wolf Cubs program. Translations were made into a number of languages. The

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

obtained the rights for the book in the United States and published their own edition in 1918, although it did not officially adopt and operate a Cub Scouts program until 1930 under a modified program. ''The Wolf Cub's Handbook'', in various editions, remained The Boy Scouts Association's official handbook for Wolf Cubs until ''

The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report The Boy Scouts Association's ''The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966'' attempted to address the association's falling enrolment numbers and modernise its programs. It resulted in changes from traditional iconic uniforms, changes to awards, ...

'' of 1966 recommended that less emphasis be placed on the ''Jungle Book'' theme and renamed its Wolf Cubs program as Cubs.''The Advance Party Report'', The Boy Scouts' Association 1966
(p.18)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf Cub's Handbook, The 1916 children's books British children's books British picture books Children's non-fiction books Works based on The Jungle Book Scouting English-language books Books about wolves

Origins

Baden-Powell and Kipling

Legacy

See also

References