Bambi

I first read this when I was a kid (maybe ten years old?) on my dad's recommendation. Apparently, my memory has been rewritten by the Disney version, because this is way more grown-up than I remembered. Lots of blood and death and alluded-to sex, as befits a story of wild animals.

For instance, one time when Bambi is still small, his mother leaves Bambi for a few days without warning him. Bambi feels abandoned, but it's really just mating season, and all the 'mothers' have left to go find the 'fathers.' After a few days of heartbreak, Bambi is scolded by an old stag for trying to interrupt the spring booty call:

"What are you crying about?" the old stag asked severely. Bambi trembled in awe and did not dare answer. "Your mother has no time for you now," the old stag went on.

Noted on April 20, 2016