Heidi

We purchased this book in order my daughter to read and write a book report about the virtues and Christian-values through her Catholic Home School program. We chose this copy of the book because it was original and unabridged. Both my daughter and I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is so superbly well-written, with bits of anticipation and humor along the way. Heidi is about an orphaned girl in Switzerland, whose aunt took care of her until she obtained a better job, and decided it was Heidi's grandfather's turn to keep her. Heidi's grandfather lived up the mountain in a bit of remote area, with the town of Dorfli a trek away. Heidi meets Peter and his mother and grandmother and spends time with Peter, taking the goats to pasture. Heidi's aunt decided to later take her from the grandfather, who came to love her, to be come a companion to an "invalid" girl, Clara, in Frankfurt. Although Heidi is younger than Clara, Clara delights in the funny and inspiring things that Heidi says and does, and they become good friends. Heidi suffered terribly as she missed Grandfather and her life in the mountains, but came to know those in Clara's life, including her grandmother, who taught her to have hope and keep praying to God, and the kind, good-hearted doctor who took care of Clara. Heidi's simplicity, and the way she looked at life, made her long the matched simplicity of the mountains and life with Grandfather. No spoilers here, but good things happen in the story! The characters are very well-defined, and Heidi touches the hearts of all who meet her. If you have seen any versions of Heidi in movie form, you are missing a lot from the book. As much as I like Shirley Temple, the producers of the version she starred in did a disservice to original Heidi book -- it is like looking at a whole different movie. (Disney later came out with a much closer account of the Heidi book as a movie in later years.) Everyone who reads Heidi will enjoy it and walk away with something that touches them -- something to recall and remember as their favorite part of the book.

I love Heidi - the book and most film or TV adaptations of it. The story is so wholesome and nothing quite makes me want to visit Switzerland one day than this book. Such sweet reminders that simple living can be the best and the importance of education, whether from formal training in a classroom or from experienced elders on a mountainside. Sprinkled throughout with words of wisdom about the goodness of God and how much He cares for His creation. Even if one is not religious, you can still appreciate the morals doing within this impeccably crafted story.

I read it not so long ago for my 5th grade homeschool project, and it was one of the best books I have ever read. Johanna Spyri really showed what it meant to her to be faithful to God. Spyri's tale was the most elegant, beautiful, flowing tale I have ever read.Heidi was so spectacular that I would definately like to rate it hundreds of stars; and I consider reading all of Spyri's books. I think Heidi is the perfect book for people of all ages and if you like books such as "Little House on the Prairie" you will love Heidi.The setting is somewhere in Switzerland with all the Alps. I think reading this book made me want to go to Switzerland! Like I've said before, this book is very beautiful-- everything about it-- the setting, the story, the way the author writes it, it is pure beauty. I don't think I-- possibly you-- have read any book as good as this.So, overall, this book is the most best book for anyone who loves life on the alm, faithfulness to God, and a nice beautifully-written tale. This tale made me very amazed and happy at Johanna Spyri's literature, and I guarentee it will to you too. Heidi is the best book in the whole world. Pure Literature and Pure beauty.

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and is also the main reason why I purchased it. I love Rifle Paper Co. and everything Anna Bond designs. The story was actually really great, and I enjoyed reading it (as a 26 year-old female). I'm definitely looking forward to passing this book down to (hopefully) future daughters to enjoy.The only reason why it's not 5 stars is because there were two pages where the ink roller got messed up and smeared the ink across the page. I requested a replacement, which Amazon promptly ordered, and it seems to not have any issues like that (I haven't checked page by page yet). I order all 4 books in this design series and 2 out of 4 of them had this issue. It seems that whoever was in charge of the actual inside quality check did a poor job. Some of the page numbers in a couple of the other books are almost being cut off the edge of the page (poor placement).Other than that, the stories are classic and the outside covers are stunning. I definitely don't mind sitting these books on my shelf.

Reconciliation…what a beautiful concept. This thread runs throughout the story of Heidi. Hope …who can fully exist without it? Each of the characters finds, extends, or withdraws it to his or her own detriment. This is another thread running throughout the story. Joy…when desires are granted and wrongs made right is the third thread running throughout the book.I was totally taken with the story and observed how the threads were woven together to make a grand tapestry of this God-honoring story. I think this book is best suited for mid to upper elementary.