When Baden-Powell created the Scout Movement in 1908, it was designed as a programme for boys over the age of eleven. But very soon younger brothers wanted to be part of this Grand Adventure. BUT there was no such organisation to quench this thirst.
Often they just forced their way into ordinary Troop or Patrol meetings (with the Scoutmasters turning a blind-eye to this). In some areas as early as 1909 unofficial Junior or Cadet Scout Troops were set up, to siphon off the younger members to protect the Scout Movement.

These Cadet Troops, taught a much simpler form of Scouting, just including the basic knots, basic first aid, tracking and so on. In 1914, there were articles in the Headquarters' Gazette (the regular newsletter to leaders) outlining such an official scheme: This was not really what Baden-Powell, he wanted something different, not a watered down Boy Scouts, but a movement in its own rights, with its own identity and programme. In announcing, in 1914, his plans for 'Junior Scouts' now known as the Cub Scouts also the Beavers to cater for boys under 11 years old, B.-P. said: "It will meet the view of a large number of Scoutmasters who have been anxious to take boys under 11 years of age; it will open a number of elementary schools to Scouting; it will give a groundwork of Scout knowledge to boys before becoming Scouts such as will help to raise the standards of efficiency while reducing the instructional work of the Scoutmaster. It will bring boys under Scout discipline at an earlier and more receptive age".

In 1916, he published his own outlines for such a scheme, it was to be called Wolf Cubing. Baden-Powell might have had a number of reasons to call this section Wolf Cubs:
the Matabele had given B-P the nickname Impeesa (which mean The Wolf that never sleeps);
Wolf was the name of the cannon made in the railway workshops at Mafeking;
Wolf was one of the names American Indians gave to their best scouts - So a young boy not old enough to be a true Scout or wolf could be a baby wolf or Wolf Cub.

8th Chester Cub Scout Group at Delamere Forest 2008 a great day out lots of fun to be had as you will see from our photo album we have lots of fun days out and learn a great deal at the same time in this instance about nature and the trees and birds was a wonderful day ! come join us

The Jungle Book - A Theme for Cubing

The choice of the name Wolf Cubs suggested to him the ideas of Cub Packs, and to base this new programme around one in particular, the Seonnee pack from his close friend, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. (Kipling like Baden-Powell had spent much of his time in India and Africa, not as a soldier but as a journalist and writer, and at this point lived quite close to Baden-Powell. He was also the author of Kim, the title character inspiring Kim's Game).
Even today, the Cub Scout programme still uses the Jungle Book stories as a basis, each new Cub finding out about the story of Mowgli's entry into the Pack in Mowgli's Brothers.

The programme, although entirely different from Boy Scouts, started on a trail to learning all the Scouting skills they would need later in the Troop, and giving them a taste of the game of Scouting, and teaching them to be part of a co-operative team the Pack. As well as the adventure it also had the fun element of the Jungle Book character's, the Pack leader becoming Akela, and other assistants Baloo, Bagheera or Hathi, and the recruit entering the Pack was like Mowgli, the young boy who was brought up by the wolves.
You can find the copy of the text of the first jungle book as part of the On-line Book Initiative.
Mowgli appears in one Rudyard Kipling story outside the two Jungle Books: In the Rukh is a story about Mowgli as an adult.