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Heidi

Name: Heidi
Author: Johanna Spryi
ISBN: 9780735822276

by Johanna Spryi, Maja Dusikova

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Overview

Heartwarming tale of a cheerful orphan sent to live with her hermit-like grandfather high in the Swiss Alps. There, she transforms the lives of Peter, a goatherd; Peter's blind grandmother; Clara, a well-to-do but sickly girl; and even the old Alm-Uncle, Heidi's surly grandfather. A delightful story "for children and those who love children."

Synopsis

Johanna Spyri's classic tale is brought to life with beautiful illustrations from Maja Dusikova in what is sure to become a picture book classic!

Children's Literature

Heidi is a young girl who lives with her aunt. Surprisingly, Aunt Dete has just taken a job in Frankfurt and Heidi is unable to travel with her. Instead she is to go live in the mountains with her grandfather. Grandfather is at first unhappy to see Heidi. He is unsure of how he will entertain her or even where she will sleep. Heidi joyfully finds a little spot in the hayloft and makes herself at home on the hay. She loves to gaze out the window at the valley below. Grandfather shares her love of the beauty of the mountain and begins to appreciate her sweet spirit. As the months pass, Heidi makes friends with Peter, the shepherd boy, and his grandmother. She visits them regularly and brings joy to all she comes into contact with. Aunt Dete becomes engaged and returns for Heidi. Her fiance is looking for a friend for his daughter, Klara, who is confined to a wheelchair. Heidi is deeply saddened to leave the mountain but must obey her aunt. While in Frankfurt, she learns to read and becomes close with Klara. But Heidi misses her grandfather and the beauty of the mountain. Her sadness makes her ill. She is unable to eat and becomes frail and thin. She is then sent back to live on the mountain with her grandfather and is elated to be home again. Youngsters will be exposed to a different culture and will enjoy the classic illustrations. Reviewer: Summer Whiting

About the Author, Johanna Spryi

Maja Dusikova was born in Piestany, Czechoslovakia, and now lives in Florence, Italy. She has illustrated many books for both children and adults, including The Advent Storybook and Silent Night, Holy Night.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Cynthia Levinson

Dozens of editions are available of this classic tale about a Swiss mountain girl who is sent to live with a strange family in town, leaving behind her irascible but lovable grandfather. New editions or, as in this case, reissues of previous editions, must earn their space on the crowded bookshelf. This version does so from beginning to end. The book opens with an introduction by the British novelist Eva Ibbotson, who was born in Austria. Although she admits that she has never milked a goat, she movingly recalls her family's escape from Hitler, feeling displaced in England, and learning English, in part, through reading Heidi, her favorite book, in translation. The book concludes with a Q&A about Johanna Spyri, a summary of the characters, activities related to the novel and its setting, and information about Switzerland and cheese-making. Although the paper is not the highest quality and might not withstand handling by multiple readers, the illustrations are charmingly old-fashioned. Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson

Children's Literature - Summer Whiting

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3—The text in this picture-book version of the story flows smoothly while incorporating many incidents from the original. Dusíková's watercolor illustrations feature rosy-cheeked children, cuddly goats, and flowering hillside pastures. The images enhance the narrative and reveal enough in themselves for browsers to understand the basic plot. Although not an essential purchase, the book provides an attractive option for those wishing to introduce the classic tale to a young audience.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

Squeezing a 300-page (give or take a few) classic into a mere 32 pages may sound impossible, but this new Swiss translation not only pulls it off, it never sacrifices heart for succinct storytelling in the doing. Spyri's novel of a young girl who is sent to live with her grandfather in the mountains is retold here with accompanying lush watercolors and wide, sweeping panoramas. Dus'kova taps into the emotional core of this tale, making it accessible to all but the youngest readers. Though this version does rely to some extent on reducing individual scenes into their most essential parts, the narrative is smooth and consistent. Some parents will eschew this version for a bedtime reading of the original, but for those youngest children who still need a swath of beautiful pictures to carry them through the story, this may well fit the bill. (Picture book. 4-8)