Bambi, a Life in the Woods

Story

From playful fawn to independent adult, the book follows the story of Bambi, a deer. His life changes from a carefree childhood to slightly traumatic adulthood where he has to face a lot of dangers posed by human hunters. However, these difficult times teach Bambi a lot of essential life lessons that made him wiser.

Why we chose it

The story of a young deer from birth to adulthood. The novel paints a harsher picture of life in the woods than the film but the film is better known than the book today and is considered to be a children’s animation classic.

Where it came from

Felix Salten was an Austrian author whose real name was Sigmund Salzman. Being a Jew, his books were banned by Hitler and he had to move to Switzerland. His love for nature and animals is clearly reflected in Bambi. Kurt Wiese beautifully illustrated the English-translated version which was published by Simon & Schuster in 1929.

Where it went next

Bambi soared in popularity and became a “book-of-the-month” selection. It sold 650,000 copies in the United States by 1942. The book was adapted into a Walt Disney animated film titled Bambi in 1942 which increased the popularity of the book even more.

Associated stories

Felix Salten wrote a sequel to Bambi in 1939, entitled Bambi’s Children.