Bambi's Children: The Story of a Forest Family (Bambi's Classic Animal Tales)

I had been looking forward to reading this for a long time after being blown away Felix Salten's previous book, Bambi. I understood from the Goodreads reviews and the premise that this was not going to be the soul-searing, powerful, sobering read I got from Bambi, so I prepared myself for a pleasant, reassuring little venture to rest my mind in between sections of The Lord of the Rings.To a certain extent, I got what I expected. The mood of this book is much closer to Disney's actually pretty decent sequel (one of the very rare few to boast of such praise) Bambi 2 than to the original Bambi novel. It's occasionally melancholy, though generally hopeful and optimistic. It had been implied at the end of the first book that Bambi was going to become like his father, an often cold and distant figure who only comes into his children's lives after they had "come of age" and needed to learn the subtler ways of the forest. Here in Bambi's Children, Bambi is a very warm and caring father, taking on a much more present and active role in the rearing of his children besides just "watching from a distance". It's not very realistic for deer behavior, and it conflicts with the tone and message of the first book, but it's reassuring and heart-warming all the same.The philosophical tone from the previous book is still somewhat present here, and the meaning of Man's role in Nature is thoughtfully discussed. While the heart-stopping "big reveal" at the conclusion of the previous book was much more of a poignant commentary on not only Man's role in Nature but the nature of Life and Death itself, Salten still has some wise things to say about his own species.There is some "domestic drama" here, something about a misunderstanding between Faline and her stepsister that escalates to some needless spite and grudge-holding more suitable for a human soap opera than a story about a herd of deer. For the love of Pete! You're deer, not The Real Housewives! Get the hell over it and go graze in a meadow or something. I would have enjoyed this book much more if this unnecessary drama had been left out.All the same, I enjoyed this and I'm happy to have finally gotten my hands on a copy of Bambi's Children. If you're a fan of all things Bambi, philosophical children's books, or just xenofiction/talking animal fantasy in general, definitely give this a read.

I read this as a 10 year old and again as a 53-year-old and I can attest that this book is this masterful as a bambi, with a more fleshed out story. I love this book!

This was my favorite book when I was first learning to read, which is why I purchased it for a neighbor's child, who is having reading difficulties. I counted on the illustrations to capture her interest. Unfortunately, the edition I purchased didn't have the coveted illustrations, but only small black and white graphics, which is why I lopped off a star. While the story is the same as during my youth, it was the pictures that drew me in. From the book description I expected more in the way of the illustrations. Fair to say, I expected to much for such a small price.

I had read this book when I was a little girl and loved it so much I decided to buy it.

Chapter book too advanced to read to my three year old granddaughter. She loves Bambi but this book could not keep her interest!

It's not the Disney movie version. It is realistic life where death happens. Some grafic. But there are parts you remember that Disney took for the movie. I loved it. The shipping was great also and protected the paperback perfectly.

my kids liked this one better than the original, but both are beautiful classics!

Great writer..very creative and entertaining..lots of whimsy: some sad, some gleeful

This is a great sequel to the original Bambi story, it follows the path of Gurri & Geno, Bambi & faline's two siblings, who bicker with eachother but are friends with Rolla & her children Boso & Lana. One day Gurri is taken by a gamekeeper because she gets injured by a fox while Geno has to prove he's not a coward just because he doesn't want to fight Boso when they start growing their antlers. After a while they fall apart the two families and it's up to the new prince of the forest Bambi to take his knowledge to his children if they are to make it to adulthood and survive the greatest enemy of all: man. Of course they always call man "He" when the animals talk about the hunters.As I read the sequel, within three days, I enjoyed the writing of Felix Salten and how he descibed the forest and it's creatures so well in detail and the stuggles and experiences of the forest animals made it as though you were feeling their story with them. I'm a bit unsure which Bambi story is better but I do feel that felix Salten was a really good writter in his day and can still be today and I believe that Bambi's Children should be widely read just as the original story that inspired Disney to make one of the most charming and unforgetable animations of all time.I hope this helps and I highly recomend this book for those who enjoyed reading Bambi by Felix Salten because it carries on the story that has a satisfying ending.