The reader can lift flaps to help Bambi as he searches for his friends Flower and Thumper.

The powerful original novel that inspired the classic animated film—a story of nature, loss, survival, and becoming an adult. This moving and eventful story, translated from the original German by David Wyllie, opens with the birth of a fawn in a thicket. Little Bambi rises to his feet immediately, as an overly talkative magpie marvels over this beautiful newborn. We then follow his journey through the innocent joys of youth into experiences of love, loss, and the complexity and danger of the wider world—where humans pose a mortal threat to his kind—and on to his years as an older and wiser prince of the forest. Bambi is a tale of beauty and allegorical depth that brings the realities of nature to vivid, emotional life.

A new, beautifully illustrated translation of Felix Salten's celebrated novel Bambi-the original source of the beloved story. Most of us think we know the story of Bambi-but do we? The Original Bambi is an all-new, illustrated translation of a literary classic that presents the story as it was meant to be told. Jack Zipes's introduction traces the history of the book's reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life-as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution. With captivating drawings by award-winning artist Alenka Sottler, The Original Bambi captures the rich emotional meaning of a celebrated story.

A new, beautifully illustrated translation of Felix Salten’s celebrated novel Bambi—the original source of the beloved story Most of us think we know the story of Bambi—but do we? The Original Bambi is an all-new, illustrated translation of a literary classic that presents the story as it was meant to be told. For decades, readers’ images of Bambi have been shaped by the 1942 Walt Disney film—an idealized look at a fawn who represents nature’s innocence—which was based on a 1928 English translation of a novel by the Austrian Jewish writer Felix Salten. This masterful new translation gives contemporary readers a fresh perspective on this moving allegorical tale and provides important details about its creator. Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more somber than the adaptations that followed it. Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Jack Zipes’s introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life—as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution. With captivating drawings by award-winning artist Alenka Sottler, The Original Bambi captures the emotional impact and rich meanings of a celebrated story.

Bambi, a handsome fawn, saves little Thumper's life, making the King of the Forest very proud.

Text copyright 1939 by The Bobbs-Merrill Company.

Bambi, the Prince of the Forest, is featured in this shaped die-cut board book that can stand out on the shelf like a doll. Full-color illustrations.

The adventures of a young deer in the forest as he grows into a beautiful stag.