I read about half of it and gave up. I don't actually care what happens to him.

Should be read by everyone.

This classic children’s story is innocent and beautifully written. It was a very quick read and a refreshing change for me to have nature as the subject matter. Even though it was written for young children it does not shield the reader from the harshness and cruelty of a wild creatures experience, but relates those events in a calm and factual manner.

Bambi is born hidden in a thicket and immediately stands on his wobbly legs. His mother attends to him and teaches him the ways of deer and nature. His gentle disposition is apparent as he makes friends with other deer and a multitude of woodland creatures. As he grows he comes to understand life and death. He is both afraid of and inspired by the old stag who roams in the forest.

It was a good story, bit dark in places but an easy read. Shows an interesting POV as an animal in a forest. I wasn’t sure what to expect, obviously having seen the Disney film, but I certainly was surprised. I tried using the audiobook but the one available in the Audible Plus catalogue had a lot missing and for the sake of 122 pages, I just finished it without.

"He isn't above us. He's just the same as we are. He has the same fears, the same needs, and suffers in the same way. He can be killed like us, and then He lies helpless on the ground like all the rest of us, as you see Him now."

The wisdom of the Old Stag.

"Can't you stay by yourself? Shame on you!"

Find out for yourself. Farewell."

"Act bravely."

I adore this little book and am so glad Rebecca gave it to Porter to read and that it found it's way into my hands.

After being told by my mother that this book was "nothing like the Disney version," I came prepared to read something like Watership Down for Children. Surprise! Not really.

This book actually was very like the Disney movie, as I remember it (and it's been quite a few years). It begins with Bambi's birth in a meadow and continues by cataloging his discoveries and experiences one by one: meeting a squirrel, conversing with a screech owl, meeting Aunt Ena and cousin Faline. There's no Bashful or Thumper here and no charming icy pond sequence...and no forest fire. However, there really is an "Old Prince," and Bambi's mother really does die. The less dramatic, cinematic bits of the Disney movie might have been lifted straight from Salten's pages.

However, Salten's major theme didn't quite make it in. All of Bambi's experiences throughout the book are building to one major revelation about the nature of life, of nature, of wild animals vs. domestic animals, and the events that contribute to this revelation didn't quite make the final Disney cut. I'm not sure if I agree with Salten's view of domestic vs. wild and the role of man in nature, but I did find his conclusions thought-provoking. I'd say this book is worth a rainy Sunday afternoon.

It's a Little Golden Book - what's not to love?