Book Report (Heidi)
Heidi
by Joanna Spyri
Heidi’s parents died when she was little, and she was brought up by her aunt Dete. She had a grandfather who did a lot of bad things when he was young and at last went to live in a hut up the Alps by himself and did not intend ever to come down again. He was then known as Alm-Uncle. People said bad things about him, and the truth was he had a bad temper and no one dared to go near him. When Heidi was five years old, Dete decided to go to another city to earn more money and couldn’t bring the child with her. She took Heidi up to Alm-Uncle’s and Heidi started her life with her grandfather in the mountains.
Heidi’s new neighbor, Peter, didn’t like to study and couldn’t even learn how to read. His job was to take out the goats every day including the grandfather’s two beautiful ones. Heidi soon made friends with Peter as well as the goats, and she enjoyed going out with them every day. She got to know Peter’s grandmother who was blind and poor and enjoyed spending time talking to her. Because of Heidi, the grandfather learned to be nice to people; the grandmother found the life interesting; Peter’s life was no more boring and he was no more a moody boy; the goats didn’t have to suffer from Peter’s bad temper anymore.
A few years past it was time for Heidi to go to school, and Dete brought the unwilling child down to Frankfurt to a rich family. Clara, the daughter of the house, was not strong enough to walk and hardly ever stepped out of the house. She needed a companion to study with her and to be her friend. Heidi, the lively girl, brought light into the house although she got trouble sometimes. She learned to read and learned some proper manners. She made friends with Clara and the latter’s grandmother, the grandmamma. However, Heidi soon got homesick and didn’t have the courage to tell her feelings to anyone. She started dream walking and made everyone in the house thought the house was haunted. Following the doctor’s advice, Heidi was sent home at once.
The days in the mountains were so unpleasant without Heidi, but now she was back and all the happiness came back. Clara paid her a visit at the very next summer. This made Peter very jealous and pushed Clara’s wheelchair down the slope while no one was watching. Clara couldn’t go anywhere without the chair, so she made a great effort trying to walk on her own feet. With Heidi and Peter’s help Clara succeeded. The fresh air in the mountains and the goat’s milk she drank every day made her strong. At the day of Clara’s departure, her father and the grandmamma came and were astonished by their child walking naturally towards them. They were so delight and sent a lot of presents to Heidi and the grandfather, and even to Peter and the grandmother, to express their thankfulness. Clara left and promised to come back next year. They lived happily ever after.
Heidi is one of the world’s famous literatures. The story is very warm and the descriptions of the beautiful mountains scene were very impressive. It was written especially for children and those who love children. Many television productions of the original story have been made. They were popular far and wide.
