Heidi

Heidi (Heidi #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92  ·  rating details  ·  83,570 ratings  ·  1,309 reviews
Heidi was first published in 1880. A classic tale of childhood joys and friendships, it has delighted and inspired generations of children.
Published (first published 1880)
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K.D. Oliveros
Dec 11, 2012 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books (Children's)
Shelves: childrens, 501
Heidi's Ten Life Enriching Lessons for Grownups:

I normally read children's books during Christmastime. Not only to catch up with my Reading Challenge (I am behind by 10 books as of this writing), but also, most of children's books have life lessons that can be good reminders for the coming year. New Year always means new beginning, new hope. Do you remember when you were still in school and after reading a story in class, the teacher asked you what was the lessons you learned from it? So, in thi...more
notgettingenough
Mostly during primary school my chosen prospective career was saint.

Ah, but then there was the period where I discovered Heidi and as I read and reread it a bunch of times, I most fervently wanted to become a goatherd, with all that this entailed. The bell. The sleeping snuggled into warm hay in the attic. The eating of too much cheese.

So taken was I with the idea of Switzerland that when we were asked, about grade 6, where we were going for the term holiday, I – who had never been on a holiday...more
Kathleen
All the evils of the world might be cured by mountain air, kindness, and goat's milk.

Vividly descriptive. Just whisk me to the Swiss Alps, bright with myriad blossoms, fragrant with fir and pine, alive with birdsong. The blessings of nature surround, the sun shines down all around, and never an unkind sound.

Heidi is five — pale and small — when she first moves to Grandfather's simple alpine home, where the heavens twinkle right into her sleeping loft. Soon she's running barefoot, limber as the...more
Katie
Jun 12, 2008 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Chilren, adults, adults reading to children
Recommended to Katie by: Grandma
Thanks to all the bowdlerized, Disneyfied stupidifications it's been through, poor old Heidi's story gets a bum rap. In fact, Heidi is no sap, and more to the point, her friend Clara with the wheelchair is no timid Victorian dying violet. Somebody plonked this great big book in my lap when I was seven years old, a good reader, and in need of something heavy to hold me down on a long car trip. It worked; it took me off from my flat prairie summer to a land of purple mountain peaks and jumping goa...more
Jeanette
My sister and I were so enamored of this book when we were little. With that in mind, I'll let my four-star rating stand. However, I recently ran across a copy of the book and thought it might be fun to read it again after all these years. Nostalgia and all that, right? I was sickened by the over-the-top flowery writing. Gaaaaag me with syrupy sentiment! I was also surprised by all the gooey religious references, which I didn't remember AT ALL from my childhood readings of it. I don't object to...more
Truly
Heidi Versi Penerbit Atria

“Hari ini juga tidak ada kesempatan untuk menguap!”
Sepertinya jika ada Heidi dalam kehidupan kita,
maka tidak akan pernah ada kesempatan untuk menguap!

Heidi adalah nama seorang gadis kecil yang berasal dari Swiss. Sebagai anak yatim piatu, Heidi pada awalnya berada dalam perawatan Bibi Dete. Namun seiring perjalanan waktu, saat berusia 8 tahun ia tinggal bersama Kakek Alm di Pegunungan Alm. Awalnya banyak yang menyangsikan mereka akan dapat hidup rukun, mengingat tabiat...more
Anthea Gupta
This was always one of my favorites as a child and I still enjoy it (and the sequels, though they are not by Johanna Spyri). It engages with what constitutes good treatment of children.
Verena
A prime example where the movie is far outdone by the book. Loved sharing this with the kids.
Sarah Boyce
It's A classic front to back... A good read for ages 8-10
Tracey
My two favorite aunts gave me Heidi when I was eight years old. I don't know if it was Christmas or birthday; all I know is I have them to thank not only for this but for Anne of Green Gables (and my very favorite stuffed bear Snowball), bless their names forever. As with Anne, I read Heidi over and over (and over), and followed up with some of the sequels from the library, and loved it dearly; unlike with Anne, though, I haven't read Heidi in many years. The Goodreads Kindred Spirits group chos...more
Jason
Jan 23, 2013 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Children's lit
Recommended to Jason by: Me
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Tamra
Apr 30, 2009 Tamra rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who's thinking about being a hermit in the Swiss Alps--take me with you!
Shelves: own-currently
I never read this book as a kid. It sounded too girly. But it's a classic, so gave it a shot.

It's a slower read, for normal juvenile lit--owing to the fact, I'm sure, that it was written more than 100 years ago. Compared to other things I've read from the same time period, the book is a page turner! And it's a page turner compared to most of the adult fare I read, too. But it's not a lightweight book in terms of wordiness, length, and descriptions.

It does have a good dose of religion, but Spyri...more
Lauren
The edition that I actually read is from 1954 and I absolutely loved the tale of the little girl who goes to live with her grandfather in the mountains, etc. She shows a real strength of character and an aptitude to adapt to her surroundings and make the best of the situations in which she finds herself.
Ryan
When I was 14, I ran away from home and lived in various places for a year. Fortunately, I had a family that made sure it wasn't on the street, but I was no less lonely or frightened with a roof over my head. I wasn't raised in any particular faith either - probably not for lack of trying (I remember going to church, just not liking it much or being made to keep going) - and somehow I found a great deal of strength and comfort in this book. Not the 'outdoor-wholesome' thing, but in the Grandmoth...more
Yushi
Cool book..

Ringan n inspirative...

Describing... a positive thinking and a cheerful heart of a little girl...
awesome attitude... only with positive thinking, and a cheerful feeling can change your environment..

SIMPLE.. but gave you... a deep lesson...
Emily
I love Heidi! I feel the same way about the landscape of my home as she does. I love my Idaho mountains and the miles and miles of sagebrush. God's creations inspire people--and I believe they inspire goodness. It is easier for me to remember God in the mountains and valleys and forests and animal pens of the country than in the man-made cities with department stores and skyscrapers lining asphalt roads and concrete sidewalks. I empathize with Heidi's need for home and family and admire her abil...more
Sherry
This book brings back wonderful memories of my childhood and the beginning of my love for reading. I remember wanting to be like Heidi, wandering the mountain slopes with Peter and having goats’ milk, bread and cheese for lunch. The goat’s milk, bread and cheese (or at least the bread and cheese with perhaps a glass of wine) still conjure up memories of the beautiful Swill Alps. For me a good read is one that stands the test of time. One where you can still remember how you felt when you were re...more
Annie
Nov 26, 2008 Annie rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Christian children
Recommended to Annie by: Danica
Wow. There are a few things going on here:

a) This translation is amusingly terrible. A few gems: "Now the children sat up in bed and said each her evening prayer" (284); "'Where are the precipices?' asked the child, but did not stir from her seat, for with every breeze the sweet perfume was wafted to her nostrils" (32); "His father, who followed the same business, and was also called goat-Peter, had been killed while felling wood the year before. His mother, whose name was Brigette, was always s...more
tinabot
I first read this book when I was about 7 years old and just loved it. I think it was the gorgeous descriptions of Heidi's mountain that really won me over. I also enjoyed the descriptions of butter making and of milking the goats. Recently I reread this book with a class of students, and you know what they say about a book being like an old friend. I wondered if I would still like it, and I still do. This time around, reading it again almost 3 decades later, I liked Heidi as a character. She ac...more
Eva Ernst
Although I have read this book numerous times, I have really come to appreciate the wild and colorful nature of it and will read it again and again. I too had this book supplied to me for a long car trip and immediately fell in love with her grandfather, whom I was sure would turn out to be a kind and loving man from the start, and Heidi herself along with the elaborate scenery surrounding her in the beautiful mountain range, a place I have always loved. The joyous child inspired me to go on mor...more
Marty
Reading with my kids is really a selfish endeavor. I just want an excuse to either read childrens books I'd always meant to or revisit past worlds where a memorable part of my childhood dwelled. Heidi was the former, though as we read I vaguely recognized some story elements--though I'm not sure from what.

Not that recognizing story elements took too much, since there isn't much too it. For that reason, things got off on a rocky start. Used to the simple language and brisk plotting of the Oz book...more
Colleen Stone
Not so much a review as a reflection...

I read this book as a child and really must revisit it again soon. But what has stayed with me over the years is the cheese that Heidi and her grandfather toasted over an open fire on toasting forks. It sounded impossible and delicious at the same time. My exposure to cheese at the time was limited to Kraft Cheddar Processed Cheese. These days I wouldn't classify it as real cheese. It certainly would not have survived the toasting process!

Fast forward many...more
Ryoichi
Extensive Listening & Reading 2
Mathew's class
Mathew's class
Mathew's class
Mathew's class


-about an hour and 30 minutes(10/28)

-7 word summary:
girl-villagers-friends-animals-nature-communication-beutiful

-Discussion Questions:
1.In the last part of this book, Heidi's friend Clara could walk around with her feet.
Heidi were pleased with her success.Then, have you been pleased with someone's success? What? Why?
Answer:
Yes. About 2 years ago, my couin got bowel cancer sadly. He was admitted to hospital...more
Charlotte Smith
Heidi is the first non- school book that I chose from my parent’s library and read unprompted when I was 9 years old. I remember curling up on a beanbag in my room and instantly falling in love with the characters and magic that leaped at me page after page. I sat reading all day until I had finished the whole book and from then on I became an absolute book worm!

This book is about a young girl called Heidi who is sent to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps by her Aunt. Her grandfather i...more
1 Annabelle
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jawaher Mirza
I read this book a long time ago and I also remember watching an animated series, so my review is from my memories of when I was a little girl.
I absolutely loved the story- how the little orphan Heidi, in her own special way wins the love and affection of her grandfather, her friendship with Peter and the adventures they share. Sadly, she is sent to Frankfurt to be the companion of Clara, a rich girl who is wheel chair bound. They become close friends but Heidi misses her grandfather dearly and...more
Anna
Aug 15, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of classics, children
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Spencer
On a long airplane trip home from California I started reading this book. The optimism and innocence portrayed in this delightful novel made the wearisome trip much more bearable. Heidi is an orphan in the 19th century (imagine that!), and her aunt has found a job but cannot care for Heidi any longer. She boldly takes her and deposits her with the child's irascible grandfather (I should look up the definition of orphan. If she has an aunt and a grandfather, does that mean she is no longer an orp...more
Melissa
Heidi
Spyri, Johanna
New York: Lancer Books, 1968
351 pages
Chapter book, few illustrations

Genres: Episodic drama, coming of age

The five-year-old orphan Heidi is sent to live with her hermit-like Grandfather in the Alps. The old man is at first resentful and distant, but Heidi wins him over with her obedience, kindness and curiosity. Heidi becomes best friends with a goat-herding boy named Peter.

Later, Heidi is sent to live as a companion with a wheelchair-bound girl named Klara. Heidi learns to re...more
Deathbysexiness
It really happened for me the year I turned nine.


I read Heidi when I was nine years old. I'd just been enrolled in a new school (which was catholic) and discovered that as well as being the second tallest girl there, I was going to REALLY discover books, specifically the classics. This was where I truly discovered literature, I read Heidi, David Copperfield, Treasure Island, The Secret Garden, Huckleberry Finn,Oliver Twist, The Moonstone, an Abraham Lincoln biography, Robinson Crusoe, most of th...more
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it is a realy good book i hop you like it to 8 45 Jun 08, 2013 05:45pm  
Goodreads Librari...: ISBN 0688145191 3 19 Sep 25, 2012 08:22pm  
Kindred Spirits: Heidi - June 2012 10 29 Jul 31, 2012 02:19pm  
At home with Grandfather 2 50 May 12, 2012 02:40pm  
Goodreads Librari...: Combine Partial Copy of a Book? 8 25 Apr 03, 2012 02:44pm  
heidi 1 37 Dec 06, 2009 06:36pm  
Wild Things: YA G...: Heidi 10 59 Jun 18, 2009 11:46pm  
Heidi (Hardcover)
Heidi (Children's Classics)
Heidi (Chosen Books)
Heidi (Paperback)
Heidi (Hardcover)

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Johanna Spyri was an author of children's stories, and is best known for Heidi. Born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels.
More about Johanna Spyri...
Cornelli Хайди и Клара (Heidi, #2) Children of the Alps Veronica Mazli (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press)

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“I'll always say my prayers...and if God doesn't answer them at once I shall know it's because He's planning something better for me.” 59 people liked it
“God certainly knows of some happiness for us which He is going to bring out of the trouble, only we must have patience and not run away. And then all at once something happens and we see clearly ourselves that God has had some good thought in His mind all along; but because we cannot see things beforehand, and only know how dreadfully miserable we are, we think it is always going to be so.” 20 people liked it
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