Bambi

Read Time: 4hrs

Author: Felix Salten

Genre: Animal

Synopsis: Felix Salten’s 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods is a somber coming-of-age story following a young roe deer’s life in an Austrian forest. It focuses on themes of survival, loss, and the dangers of “He” (mankind), featuring a darker, more realistic tone than the Disney film, where many characters die and Bambi learns to live alone, eventually becoming a wise old stag.

Points of Interest: Animals, nature

Who may like this book: Children who enjoy realistic nature stories.

Dialogic Reading Prompts

What do you think Bambi learns as he grows up?
How do the animals help each other in the forest?
Why do you think the forest sometimes feels safe and sometimes dangerous?
How would you feel if you were Bambi when he faces something scary?
What do you think Bambi’s father is trying to teach him?
Have you ever had to learn something new like Bambi? What was it?
Why is nature so important in this story?
What do you think the animals think about humans in the story?