Bambi; A Life in the Woods (1928)

I love how wildlife was portrayed. I was dreading the cutesy, Disney style animal chatter, but while all animals do talk, the manner in which they talk is wonderful in portraying how the animals act.

I also loved the short chapter with the conversation between the falling leaves.

Disney, as usual, glosses over the more disturbing aspects of this book. I know they got lots of criticism for the death of Bambi's mother but what happened to Gobo is far more disturbing and they left out his character entirely.

Overall, this was a wonderful story, though it verged on being a little too sentimental at times. But I guess that's to be expected with it being a children's novel. ( )

Much, much better, and much more nuanced (and darker) than the Disney version. I read this to my children and we all loved it. If you hated the movie, give the book a chance. I picked up the book after reading Sommerset Maugham's high praise for the book. I was not disappointed. ( )

This is not Disney. This book was incredible. The description was so real, the language not dumbed down for kids. Yes, the animals talked, but it wasn't cutesy, silly talking. It was Watership Down kind of talking. I read this to my five-and-a-half-year-old daughter (I'm trying to give her the original versions of all of the stories before she sees the Disney versions). When the first scary thing happened, I worried that I'd made a horrible mistake. But, although she was upset, she put it all into perspective very quickly. I loved watching her build a connection with the characters. At one point she said something like, "The words seem so real!" How wonderful to watch my daughter's love of reading and storytelling develop!

Update: I've thought about this book overnight and now I've got a few more things I wanted to add. Like another reviewer mentioned, the conversation between two leaves at the end of fall was masterful. There are so many issues of life and death and of God and of domestication. I was thinking about this book in the context of Salten's life as a Jew in Austria before the second World War. Apparently, he was born in Budapest in 1869 and moved to Vienna when he was just a baby because in 1867, Jews got full citizenship in Vienna. This book was published in 1926, and I'm just starting to think about the messages in the book in the context of what was going on in Europe at the time. There are just so many layers of understanding. No wonder I found this book so satisfying. ( )

I first read this book when I was in the fourth grade. It's probably been over 40 years since I last read it, but as I found an old copy in a resale store, I decided to reread it.

Bambi can be read by children, as I read it many years ago, and enjoyed for the animals, but it's really not a children's story, but a story that can be enjoyed by young and old alike, for different reasons. I really enjoyed it from an adult perspective. It told the story of the animals of the woods, and the encroachment of man "He/Him", but not in a preachy manner. There is violence and death, but it is not overdone or glorified for a cause.

Well written, nice dialogue and descriptions of forest and meadow life. ( )

Bambi tells the story of the life a deer leads in the forest. It begins with his birth and follows him through the unfolding of his understanding, from the first questions he asks his mother to his playful explorations in the meadow to his youthful feelings of invulnerability. He soon learns that the forest is full of dangers. For some time the exact nature of danger is unclear as his mother is unwilling to speak of it and he speculates with his playmates what it could be. But soon enough he learns about the threat of man, who seems to be an inescapable and incomprehensible horror. This combined with the hardships of his first winter make Bambi realize that life is a very serious thing indeed.

In fact, a lot of the book deals with themes of facing mortality and the constant threats to life. Bambi sees plenty of other creatures die, from his mother to other deer they associate with; a squirrel gets its throat torn out by a predator, crows attack smaller creatures, a dog relentlessly tracks down an injured fox, etc. And yet he finds plenty to delight in as well. His first experience of the mating season is a time of giddy passion, surging emotions that culminate in fights with the other bucks (although there's nothing "twitterpated" here at all). He also takes simple joy in his surroundings, the colorful flowers, birdsong, warm sunshine etc. The nature writing is wonderful, beautifully evoking the seasons and surroundings of lush plant life and bird voices. As Bambi moves into adulthood his life becomes more solitary and then he begins to associate closely with an older stag of the forest, who mentors him and shares his wisdom.

One of the most interesting parts of the books is about another deer named Gobo whom Bambi grew up with. During their first winter Gobo collapses in the snow and is rescued by a hunter. The other deer are all shocked and amazed when he reappears later on. But even though Gobo survived at the hands of Man, he is now unfit for life in the forest as is painfully illustrated. Other parts of the story also show how humans affect wildlife (aside from hunting which is a prevalent theme), as in when a massive tree is chopped down and many small creatures are suddenly homeless.

I think most people are only familiar with the Disney film version of Bambi, and that's a shame. There are very few similarities, namely the early death of Bambi's mother. There are no giggling bunny and skunk friends; the Hare Bambi meets is a serious creature and the Owl he knows is a little screech owl who delights in trying to frighten others with his shrieks. There is no forest fire in the book, and the threat of human hunters is much more prominent. This story is so different, much deeper and so beautifully written. I wish more people would read it.

from the Dogear Diary ( )