Bambi: A Life in the Woods (Bambi's Classic Animal Tales)

Don't get me wrong, I still love the Disney movie. It will always be one of my all-time favorites, but this book...this book...it just blows my mind. It takes subjects that were only touched on in the movie (The Circle of Life, dealing with loss, the passing of time, falling in and out of love, growing up in a dangerous world, loss of innocence, Nature Red in Tooth & Claw, Man's role in Nature), and takes them to a whole new level of beauty and terror. Characters we loved in the movie (Thumper, Friend Owl, and others) are given much deeper, more meaningful roles here, beyond your typical "cute-critter comedy relief", and not all of them make it out of this book alive... While Bambi does have its fair share of pretty nature scenes, cute animals being cute, and lovingly poetic descriptions of the woods' flora and fauna, this is oftentimes a very dark, very violent, out-right bloodbath of a story. Though these characters are given human speech and are reasonably anthropomorphic, they are still wild animals, who do not hesitate to kill for the sake of survival. There are a lot of throats being ripped out in this novel, and Bambi is not afraid to get blood on his antlers from time to time. And be sure to have a box of tissues on hand for this one. If you thought the death of Bambi's mom in the film was depressing, just wait 'till you read this. I'm telling you, the death of Bambi's mom is ONLY THE BEGINNING.

I have always loved bambi, watching the Disney classic several times a day with my brother even then it made me cry at all the loss Bambi had gone through, so picking up the book I immediately knew what I was putting myself through. Needless to say going into this book knowing what to expect I really thought I’d be okay, but boy was I wrong! This book was nothing like the movie, a stand alone all it’s own, my every heart strings were pulled for every loss that Bambi witnessed. With that note I absolutely loved this book! I loved the description, and how it told the story not only through Bambi’s perspective but the whole woods, even the leaves had their own thoughts and voices. Even now as I sit here and write this review it still has me constantly going back and remembering every word the old stag and other characters had said. loved this book! So very happy to add it to my collection!

Most people are familiar with the story of Bambi the deer from the Walt Disney animated film of 1942. Likely not as many people are aware of the fact that the movie is based on the book Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten, originally published in Austria in 1923. The standard English translation by Whittaker Chambers was published in North America by Simon and Schuster in 1928. It traces the life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and his experiences with the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest. Bambi is born in a thicket to a young doe in late spring one year. Over the course of the summer, his mother teaches him about the various inhabitants of the forest and the ways deer live. When she feels he is old enough, she takes him to the meadow which he learns is both a wonderful but also a dangerous place. Bambi meets his Aunt Ena, and her twin fawns Faline and Gobo. While they are playing, they encounter the princes, male deer, for the first time. After the stags leave, the fawns learn that those were their fathers, but that the fathers rarely stay with or speak to the females and young. As Bambi grows older, his mother begins to leave him alone. While searching for her one day, Bambi has his first encounter with "He"--the animals' term for man. During the winter, hunters enter the forest, killing many animals including Bambi's mother. Gobo also disappears and is presumed dead. The novel then skips ahead a year to the third summer when Bambi is now sporting his second set of antlers. After Bambi battles and defeats first Karus then Ronno, he and Faline express their love for one another. However, as Bambi continues to age, he begins spending most of his time alone. When Bambi is later shot by a hunter, the old Prince rescues him. The two remain together until Bambi learns that there is "Another" over all creatures, including "Him." The stag tells him that he has always loved him and calls him "my son" before leaving to die. In the end, Bambi meets with twin fawns. He thinks to himself that the girl fawn reminds him of Faline, and that the male was promising. Later, Salten wrote a sequel, Bambi's Children, that follows the lives of Bambi's twin offspring, Geno and Gurri. Disney's Bambi is less raw than the book. The novel, originally written for an adult audience and considered to be one of the first environmental novels, was thought too "grim" and "somber" for the young audience Disney was targeting, and was work required to adapt the story, severely downplaying the naturalistic elements. Some might object to what they see as the "anti-man" and "animal rights" theme of the book, but if one takes it as it was originally intended, simply a fantasy look at the kind of lives that animals experience in the forest, it is an interesting story. A few of the killing scenes might be a bit too much for small or sensitive children, but we did it as a family read aloud and everyone enjoyed it.

If you enjoy nature, a beautiful & relaxing read. Google, read history. This book ban by Nazi Germany. It was thought that author Felix Salten was depicting how the Nazis treated the Jews. Maybe he was. The story is an enduring children's classic as well as an allegory for adults. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I remember reading this way back as a child in school, it was great then and great now. The story reads so well it's a pleasure to read, unlike other books that feel like a chore. It's rare to find a good book like this, much like "The Fox and the Hound" it's a timeless classic.

True to the animals’ lives. Shame on Disney. Anthropomorphic portrayal without egregious pathos. If there were a religion that the wild creatures followed, ‘Bambi’ might be one of its Gospel stories.

This book is AMAZING. Teaches you so much and there are so many cliffhangers. It pulls so many heartstrings. But if you are very sensitive to blood I don't recommend. It's way worse then you may have heard. Because t if you are sensitive and still want to read it. I'll give you the chapter where things go bad. -WARNING!!! SPOILER!! PLEASE STOP READING THIS REVIEW IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE SPOILED- Chapter ten. Avoid chapter ten! So you don't get confused where some animals may have went. Gobo dies Bambi's mother dies

I'm sure I've said this before, but am I glad I saw the Disney film first! This book brings home the fact about how cruel nature can be. I would recommend it for kids that are at least 10. That said, I love the author's writing style!

Très satisfaite de mon achat ! Le produit est conforme à la description, facile à utiliser et vraiment efficace. La qualité est au rendez-vous, les finitions sont soignées, et il répond parfaitement à mes attentes. Livraison rapide et emballage soigné. Je recommande sans hésiter !

Que puedo decir de Bambi, es un cuento maravilloso y las fotos son muy bonitas. Me encanta! Esta muy bien.

Good god kids

It was great to finally read the original story of Bambi! It has both some similarities and differences from the Disney movie. The similarities is that it describes nature beautifully, you really feel like you're there with the animals. But some of the differences here is that there is a little more harsh undertone to it. Some characters like Thumper and Flower isn't here, instead there's a whole range of forest animals that Bambi knows and he mainly hangs out with some more deer friends, not just Faline. And they talk much more abouth the human here, which they refer to as He. There is also a little more violence here and there and the climax is totally different from the movie, there's no big fire here. So you can definitely see some differences here, it's an old book and it's understandable that it can be a little rough and scary sometimes though it might appear cute and nice. However, I do think at least young adults, even older kids can read it, because I personally think all the themes are balanced out pretty well and the chapters aren't too long, the text is kind to the eyes and some of the chapters has these beautiful illustrations. All in all, this book is a little harsh, but not as harsh as I thought it would be. So, if you love nature and forest animals and can take that there is a bit of violence sometimes, I definitely recommend this book! :)

A great book and really good price I would definitely recommend you read it.