Bambi

by Felix Salten Narrated by Jacob Daniels

Overview

Bambi is the beloved story of a young deer's early years and coming of age in a forest with many dangers. Because deer are prey for humans, Bambi is taught from a young age about the dangers he will face and warned to always be cautious. He, and all the other creatures in the forest, fear humans.

The novel skips through bits of Bambi's life to show him growing up, falling in love, experiencing loss and heartbreak, and learning more about humans each time he encounters them. Each encounter frightens him and solidifies his fear of the power of humans, until he makes a discovery about the harm that humans inflict on one another. As he grows up, Bambi discovers the true nature of power and compassion, and will come to understand his place in the balance of living creatures.

The story is a challenging exploration of the impact of humans on the natural world and creatures, but has all the charm of a coming-of-age novel. Bambi's themes remain relevant and meaningful to readers nearly a century after its original publication.

Editorial Reviews

John Chamberlain

[Salten] has the gift of a tender, lucid style. His observation is next door to marvelous, and he invests the fruits of this observation with pure poetry. His comprehension makes his deer, his screech-owls, his butterflies, grasshoppers and hares, far more exciting to read about than hundreds of human beings who crowd the pages of our novels. -- Books of the Century; New York Times review, July 1928

New York Times Book Review

With its mystical, exultant evocation of nature, and its unwavering depiction of savage human nature, "Bambi" truly is a story for all ages. Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher's Luminous paintings capture, by turns, the radiance of Bambi's forest world, its beauty, terror and stillness, as the seasons pass and Bambi grows into princely maturity.
—Elizabeth Spires

From the Publisher

Returning to Bambi nearly a century after it was published is an opportunity to attune ourselves to its cacophony of sounds, its ripples of gossip, its characters’ headbutting. The book is a rich and busy ecosystem — much like a Viennese café.” —Maddie Crum, Los Angeles Review of Books

"The novel combines a richly imagined animal world with the narrative trajectory of a Bildungsroman." —Leo A. Lensing, TLS

"Bambi articulates a tension between fear and desire, and an attempt to dominate one’s emotions to avoid the pitfalls of foolishness. . . .Thanks to a new translation from Damion Searls. . .Salten’s name and prose and the true, complex spirit of Bambi are finally restored." —Farah Abdessamad, Observer

"Bambi is a delicious book. Delicious not only for children but for those who are no longer so fortunate. For delicacy of perception and essential truth I hardly know of any story of animals that can stand beside this life study of a forest deer. Felix Salten is a poet." —John Galsworthy

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175745260
Publisher:	Spotify Audiobooks
Publication date:	07/05/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

 

That evening when Bambi and his mother were playing tag in the meadow, his mother saw her friend the hare and introduced him to Bambi.

"Good evening, young man," said Hare politely.

Bambi thought the hare's long spoonlike ears, which at times stood bolt upright and at others fell back limply as though they had suddenly grown weak, were funny. Bambi had to laugh.

The hare laughed quickly too, but then his eyes grew more thoughtful. To Bambi's surprise he suddenly sat straight up on his hind legs and said to Bambi's mother, "What a charming young prince. I sincerely congratulate you. Yes, indeed, he'll make a splendid prince in time." And with that, the hare excused himself -- "I have all kinds of things to do tonight" -- and hopped off, ears back, so they touched his shoulders.

Copyright 1928 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Copyright renewed 1956 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Storybook adaptation copyright c 1999 by Janet Schulman

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