I LOVED Bambi, I read it a year ago and it really stuck with me. Something about how bittersweet the ending was mixed with the horror was so good!! I also recently read The Fox and The Hound, and was similarly impressed, especially by the ending!! I would love to read more like them, both in vibes and in the writing style(by which I mean I feel like the reader was treated very smartly, instead of everything being explained).
Does anyone have any suggestions? It doesn't have to have an animal main character, but I've only gotten this feeling from classics with animal main characters so far. I think it really enhances the story by having the reader injecting emotion when the animals experience it differently.
by Right-Honeydew-5073
18 Comments
Watership Down, if you haven’t already.
Black Beauty [Anne Sewell]
* *Tarka the Otter* by Henry Williamson
* *Whitefang* by Jack London
* *Call of the Wild* by Jack London
King of the Wind by Maguerite Henry
Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
The Fur Person by May Sarton.
The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico.
The Cat by Collette.
The Silent Miaow! So good.
The Plague Dogs. Shardik. The Incident at Hawks Hill. Julie of the Wolves. Never Cry Wolf. Scary Stories for Young Foxes. The Eyes and the Impossible.
All Creatures Great and Small
Lassie
watership
They’re both children’s books, but The Wind in the Willows, and Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox are definitely classics. Also I don’t know if mythical creatures fit into your definition of animals, but if you enjoyed Bambi (not that there’s a direct link, I’m more talking about general vibes) you might like The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. And for something less happy and whimsical there’s always Orwell’s Animal Farm of course.
the hundred and one dalmatians by dodie smith is so good!
Old Yeller
Where the Red Fern Grows
Charlottes Web
Not sure about classic in the true sense, The Art of Racing in the Rain
Charlotte’s Web
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Redwall, Tailchaser’s Song.
The Eye and The Impossible
have you heard of Fekete István? hes a hungarian writer who has quite a few animal centric novels all quite similar to Bambi. im sure his works are translated into english, i can recommend Vuk!
Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders