Bambi: A Noisy Neighbor by Ronald Kidd

Bambi: A Noisy Neighbor by Ronald Kidd

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

Good neighbors are friendly,
Good neighbors are sweet.
They try to make friends
With the people they meet.
So if you're out playing
And see someone new,
Be sure to say welcome
And how do you do!

...Disney, you're giving me mixed messages there. First it's "never talk to strangers", and now it's "be sure to say 'welcome' and 'how do you do' to every stranger in my neighborhood"? CONFUSION.

Alright, *serious*. In Bambi: A Noisy Neighbor, a beaver named Edgar moves into the forest, and Thumper is not happy about it. As a matter of fact, he sulks. And sulks. And sulks some more.

Thumper sulks right up until the forest starts to flood, at which point Edgar becomes a surprise hero. Thumper, grateful, reconsiders his attitude toward Edgar, and the both critters have themselves a new friend.

Typical Disney morals here: Be polite to strangers/acquaintances. Don't judge others. Be respectful towards others. You know the drill. Ignoring the rather counter-productive poem at the end of the book (see above), it's not a bad story. On the other hand, the Bambi characters felt tacked onto it in the sense that they could have been replaced with literally anyone and the storyline wouldn't have been affected in the least.

*shrugs* It's an alright story for young children, though I certainly wouldn't recommend reading it right after attempting a "don't talk to strangers" lesson. Young fans of the Bambi movie(s) might particularly enjoy it.