The Story of Heidi

by Mary Sebag-Montefiore, Alan Marks (Illustrator), Johanna Spyri (Original author)

- Collectible hardback editions with bookmarks for children who are gaining confidence in reading on their own.

Genres: Classics, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Mary Sebag-Montefiore is an author of children's books and often adapts adult classics for children. She has rewritten everything from David Copperfield, Wuthering Heights and War and Peace. She is associated with Usborne.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He's a miserable old man and he hasn't seen you since you were a baby. But I've taken care of you for long enough. Now it's his turn."

Heidi lost her parents ages ago and has been passed around from person-to-person ever since, and most recently her Aunt has grown tired of taking care of her and so Heidi was once again shipped away.

And she arrives to her Grandfather's home in the Swiss Alps. Despite his crankiness and overall curmudgeonly behavior, Heidi instantly bonds both with him and the beautiful landscape.

She loves her sweet-smelling loft, the breath-taking sights, the friendly goats, and most of all, her grandfather.

But Heidi's sweet joy cannot last because all too soon, her Aunt forces her to go to Frankfort to become friends with Clara, a sickly girl. Heidi and Clara become friends instantly, but the longer Heidi stays in the city, the sicker she feels.

Will Heidi ever get back home? How will Grandfather survive without her?

I adore Heidi and have read just about every rendition that I can get my hands on.

I feel like this one was fairly good - I liked the emphasis on nature and the relationship between Grandfather and Heidi was very sweet. I'm a total sucker for the cranky-adult and the child-they-never-knew-they-needed trope.

I wish more time was given to Clara and Heidi's friendship in the city. In this version of Heidi, that friendship occurs almost instantly and could have used another page or two to really show the development.

We don't see a lot of Peter and his family in this one but I suppose if you are going to cut something for time, then that would make sense.

Also, I thought that the illustrations were really lovely. Very gentle and flowing, lots of gentle movement and gorgeous scenery.

All in all, this was a lovely first introduction to Heidi.

[Max]

The book jumped from one place to another without any clear direction, the book was ok, but the story was not good enough. The story was so short and so were the pages. Given the audience, I can blame that and the fact that this was the recreation of a 1800s story. Terrible, do better Usborne

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl alters a number of people's lives for the better.

I thought this was a really good short story with a solid morale message. The only downside was that it was a bit too concise.

[Gautami Raghu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw, such a nice book for kids! Very heart warming and cute!

[Wendy Jinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The story of Heidi" was written by Johanna Spyri (1827-1901). Joanna Spyri was a doctor's daughter, was born in the Swiss countryside. And she grew up loving mountains. "The story of Heidi was published in 1880. It was an instant success for her, and remains as popular as ever today.
Heidi was a nice and smart girl. Once her aunt Dete took her to her grandfather because she got a good job in Frankfurt and Heidi can't come with her. Both Heidi's parents were dead, her grandfather became sad and lonely. Heidi brought happy to her grandfather.

[Blaire Malkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heidi is one of my absolute favorite books from my childhood. This young reader version captures the basics of the story. Can't wait to read the whole thing with my kids when they're a bit older.

[Faridah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still learning English, this is a really good book with a cute story, I learned a lot, at the same time I got too much happiness when I read it :)!!

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ cel mai bun audiobook pe care l-am ascultat anul acesta. Nararea a fost foarte bună. Am ascultat-o cu drag.❤️

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all time favourite. This book continues to delight.