Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Heidi (1881) is a children's novel written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. One of the best-selling books of all time, Heidi is not only a defining work of Swiss literature, but a beloved masterpiece of children's fiction. It was adapted into a 1937 film starring Shirley Temple, and has since gone on to inspire numerous feature films, television series, and animated works. It is especially popular in Japan, serving as source material for the early hit anime series Heidi, Girl of the Alps.

Heidi, a young orphan girl, is sent by her aunt to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. A reclusive man, he is known as the Alm-Uncle by the townsfolk he avoids and disdains. Although initially wary of Heidi's presence, he soon softens, learning to love the young girl and to appreciate her inherent goodness and unusual intelligence. Although she wants to go to school, he refuses on account of his distrust of the town and its people. Despite this, Heidi befriends a neighboring family--a young goatherd named Peter, his mother Brigitte, and her elderly mother--who eventually accept her as one of their own. When her aunt Dete returns to take her to Frankfurt, however, her newfound life in the country is exchanged for one of service in the city. There, she works as a companion for Clara, the crippled daughter of a wealthy family. The two become fast friends, and in exchange for her love and affection, Heidi is encouraged to learn reading and writing, as well as to study the teachings of Christianity. She misses the countryside, however, and longs to return to the Swiss Alps once more. Beloved by readers around the world for well over a century, Johanna Spyri's Heidi is a classic tale of faith and friendship with lessons for children and adults alike.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Johanna Spyri's Heidi is a classic of Swiss literature and children's fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Johanna Spyri was born in a country village in Switzerland in 1827. Her father was a doctor and she had five brothers and sisters. Later she moved to the capital Zurich to go to school and she eventually settled there with her husband Bernhard, who was a lawyer. Johanna began writing in 1871 and wrote many stories which quickly became very popular. Her husband and son both died tragically in 1884, but Johanna consoled herself with charity work and writing, as well as looking after her orphaned niece. She died in her Swiss village home in 1903. Heidi is Johanna Spyri's best known and most popular novel - it has been translated from German into over fifty languages and over fifty million copies have been sold worldwide.

Richard Johnson works from a humble studio situated on the edge of a vast wood somewhere in Lincolnshire, England. He's been drawing since he was old enough to hold a pencil, these days he enjoys making pictures for all sorts of reasons; whether they're for Children's Books, Advertisements, Magazines, School Visits, Mural Paintings or more personal projects. He's been working as an illustrator since graduating with a first degree in Illustration since 1999.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780735822276
ISBN 10	0735822271
Title	Heidi
Author	Johanna Spyri
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	North-South Books
Year published	2009-10-01
Number of pages	32
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable