Published in 1923 by Austrian author Felix Salten, Bambi: A Life in the Woods was banned by the Nazis and (erroneously) blamed for a deer population explosion. I read it as a child and was very affected, but I could not remember much about it—just that feeling of amazement for deer which has never left me. It might as well be a unicorn or an angel when I can set my eyes on a deer for more than a few seconds in real life. John, my spouse, agreed for nostalgia purposes to read it with me. It took longer than we thought with 25 chapters. Bambi was magical, beautiful, and devastating.
The book has been called deceptively simple and contains all the important themes you might expect: man against nature, coming of age, the cycle of life, the roles of mothers and fathers, survival, aging, changing love, and facing loss and death. There is definitely blood, unlike the 1942 Disney film which was based on this book. I need to rewatch that too, but I urge you to try reading the original source material.
Moments after we finished the book, in that strange time where you are in a fog at the end of something that moved you, John looked out the window and saw a young buck run across the avenue, straight through our yard, and up the mountain. Yes, really! He wasn't imagining it. There are deer around, of course, but I have never seen any in the yard. Bambi, is that you?
Note: Find Bambi: A Life in the Woods at The Yocum Library, 3rd floor, call number PZ10.3.S176 Bak 2013
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