by Johanna Spyri
Looking after Heidi, a five year old orphan, has proved too much for her aunt Deta, so when the opportunity for a new position in Frankfurt comes up, Heidi is summarily deposited in the care of her grandfather. His hut high up in the Swiss alps lacks conventional comforts, but Heidi is nevertheless entranced by the meadows and fir trees, the friendly goats and local goatherd, the sweet-smelling hay that makes up her new bed, and the large chunks of toasted cheese the grandfather regularly doles out. This idyllic life is disrupted, though, when Deta decides to collect Heidi to serve as a companion for a invalid girl in Frankfurt.Heidi, first published in two volumes, cemented Johanna Spyri's reputation as a children's novelist. Besides having been translated to many different languages, Heidi has been filmed, televised and produced for stage several times over. The Japanese translation led to additional fame as a well regarded and widely distributed animated series. Although Johanna Spyri only wrote this original Heidi story, her French translator continued the series posthumously for a further six books.
