Heidi

by Lisa Church (Adapter), Johanna Spyri, Jamel Akib (Illustrator)

When Heidi’s Aunt Dete brings the orphaned girl to live with her grandfather, no one can imagine the bitter, solitary old man caring for a child. But, to everyone’s surprise, the two grow to love each other—and Heidi blossoms in her new home. Johanna Spyri’s charming story—and spirited heroine—have won children’s hearts for more than a century.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

103 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2010

About the author

https://www.facebook.com/lisachurchau...

Lisa Church is a mother of three, author of 12 books, graduate of Penn State University, and elementary teacher with over 30 years of experience. She resides in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania with her husband, children, a loyal crazy, a crazy cairn terrier, a cat named Phineas, and a kitten who could set a world-record for loudest and most constant purr.

Church is the author of a parenting guide, numerous curriculum materials, four juvenile fiction pieces, an adult murder mystery, a romance novel, and five abridged novels through Sterling / Barnes & Noble's well known Classic Starts Series. She continues to teach, write, and garner inspiration from her family, friends, and the world around her.

Publications
Everyday Creative Play: Simple Fun Things You Can Do to Help Your Preschooler Learn (Fairview Press, 1998)

Mystery on the Mayflower (PublishAmerica, 2001 & TurtleBack Books, 2002)

Be Careful What You Wish For (Perfection Learning Corporation, 2002)

The Secret of Fairwind Estates, A Silver Dagger Mystery (The Overmountain Press, 2003)

Black Beauty, Retold from the Anna Sewell Original (Sterling, 2005)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Retold from the Jules Verne Original (Sterling, 2006)

Heidi, Retold from the Johanna Spyri Original (Sterling, 2007)

The Jungle Book, Retold from the Rudyard Kipling Original (Sterling, 2008)

Ballet Stories, Retold from the Classic Originals (Sterling, 2010)

Maddie's Secret (Astraea Press, 2013)

And coming soon......
The Diversion, Topaz Publishing

Home Alone, Astraea Press

Reviews

[Allie]

very wholesome! this book was super cute

[Zubaidah]

This is a feel good story, it's comforting and warm, it reminds you of life lessons you learned as a child but have long forgotten about, it reminds you to be kind and to have faith that Allah will grant you your wishes in the right time and not the time you desire ,that is if you keep him in your heart ,I love reading children's literature , I find it to be calming

[Dana Voth]

I really like these Classic Starts abridged versions of classic books to read with my kids. It gets us to fall in love with the characters and the story, so that when we read the full book we can enjoy it more, since we aren’t trying to make sense of everything. Heidi - so sweet!

[Kristen Iworsky]

Read aloud to my 7 year old daughter. We both loved it. So sweet.

[Austin Hui]

I really love reading this book how Heidi really enjoyed being with her Grandparents, Peter and Clara. You would really love this book!

[Kristin]

It's so tough to rate adaptations of classic books because it feels like someone or something is getting cheated: the original, the adaptation… the reader? Probably the reader. Regardless, I never read the original unabridged version of Heidi by Johanna Spyri, so this will have to do. And it was fine. Not exactly riveting, but it contained lovely messages about love and empathy and the meaning of true friendship. It also talked a bit about the power of God's love without being oppressively religious in tone. I read it aloud to my 7-year-old daughter and, while we both had some trouble getting into it at first, we ultimately came away from it feeling all warm and fuzzy. She gave it four generous stars; I've got to go with three.

[Whole And]

A classic story to fill the heart, inspire joy and goodness and giving children what they really need.
A beautiful story to share with the next generation.

[Heather]

I am not usually a fan of abridged books, but as a parent I have learned to appreciate the value of them to introduce young readers to classics in a more accessible and simplified format.

[Lisa]

First, I'd like to note that I read the Classic Starts version of Heidi, retold by Lisa Church, after reading and loving the full classic. Heidi is a top favorite of mine and I felt this version included the main events from the full classic. It was a quick and engaging read that I think introduces the characters well and can be enjoyed by younger readers who may not be ready for the full novel yet.

I do want to note that I noticed the meanness of Heidi’s aunt and Clara’s housekeeper more in the Classic Starts version than the full novel. Examples: Pg 3 “you must be crazy!” pg 8 “You rotten little thing!” “You selfish child! Don’t you have any sense at all?” pg 42 “Don’t be stupid, you probably learned to be stubborn from those goats.” pg 64 threat: Perhaps if Ms. Rottenmeier could make her feel unwanted she would beg to leave “…you are a terrible little girl…if I put you in a dark cellar with the rats and black beetles.” pg 67 “you ungrateful child!” The second half is much more enjoyable.

[Katarina Ningrum]

I had no idea about what's actually going on in the tale of Heidi when I was younger, until I finally read this version.
Anyway, Heidi herself is a lovely character. Lighthearted, kind, and very pure. The other characters are not bad either. There's the heartmelting grandmother, a loving grandfather, and Peter as a good friend. Then comes beautiful, spoiled but gentle Clara and Mr.Sesemann, along with the friendly butler and a strict nanny.
For a children story, it has a lot of contrasting characters, but this doesn't make the story complex at all. In contrary, different chromes they bring has created a solid narration.

Beautiful sentences, anyway. It's written in such tender style it melts me!

[Jennifer]

(read aloud to J - 10 years old, 4th grade) we loved this story. such a sweet story of a little girl who was an orphan and was transferred to live with her grandfather. at first, he seemed surprised and a little gruff about taking her in, but they come to adore each other and had such a sweet life together. such a sweet string of stories about young girls with no parents - Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, Heidi and The Little Princess - so sweet to see how resilient these young girls are, even though their lives are hard and they have suffered losses, but they persevere and make other people happy, such sweet and inspiring characteristics they embody

[Jules Loz]

(read aloud to J summer 2023, 10 years old) we both enjoyed this book so much. Heidi is another delightful little girl who has no parents. She is dropped off to live with her grandfather who at first is gruff and not expecting her. But soon, she wins him over with her sweet nature and happy outlook on life. Despite her hardships and some people who are mean to her, she keeps her spirits up and brings joy to those around her. Delightful story, even had references to her believing in God and trusting in Him. Sweet story.

[Applsd]

I've read many abridged versions of Heidi, and, by far, this is my favorite.
Though it simplifies the text and story a bit, it's still as charming and full of life as the original.
(Seriously, I cried when Heidi came back to her grandfather.)
There are also a few black and white illustrations, which add to the charmingness of the book.
So, if you don't have time for the unabridged version, or if you want to introduce Heidi to a special young person in your life, I suggest this version.

[Seamaiden]

This is part of my childhood. As I grow older, the Christian elements and its simplicity become more apparent and this kind of bothers me, but still the story will always be one of my favorite. Heidi's affection for everyone, her love for her grandpa and the sick blind grandma, the way she adopts Clara as her sister and Clara as her sister, the good doctor... peter, his goats and his love for Heidi... They all create such a lovely story.

[Ally Savage]

a very sweet condensed book!

i grew up watching the heidi television animated series in spanish with english subtitles, and finding this book felt like sublime nostalgia to me. i picked this book up to restart my reading journey with something quick, light, and positive.

i enjoyed this book! later on i will collect the full version so i can be fully able in my criticism, but for now the story was nice :)!

[Lacey Bell]

Please consider this review is for an abridged version of Heidi and not the original. I didn't even realize I was reading an abridged version until halfway through.

This story has some religious themes to it which removed a whole star from the rating. There are some good messages in this book, but overall a pretty all-over-the-place story.

[Melanie Bartlett]

Excellent abridged version

This abridged version really suited my daughter. It was a great way of introducing classic literature to my 8 year old in preparation for harder literature in secondary school. She loved the story and could appreciate it without the over complicated vocabulary of the complete version.

[Chan Enya]

This book is about Heidi’s Aunt Dete brings the orphaned girl to live with her grandfather, no one can imagine the bitter, solitary old man caring for a child. But, to everyone’s surprise, the two grow to love each otherand Heidi blossoms in her new home. Johanna Spyri’s charming storyand spirited heroinehave won children’s hearts for more than a century.

[Amy]

My nana always loved this book, and I have yet to have read it until now, when I found this beautiful adapted edition in my local bookstore. I loved Heidi, her beautiful, caring heart, the relationship with her grandfather, and her love of the mountains. I think I get it now why nana always called me “Heidi.” A treasure and my new favorite book- it’s up in my personal top 5!

[farahsbooks]

This abridged version makes me wanna read the original version! Heidi is such a lovable character! A good introduction to a classic beginner especially who really wants to read clasic but overwhelmed with the classic.

[Joey]

What a perfection introduction to the classics for a second grader. We enjoyed reading it together, and had a hard time closing it each night. The thoughtful questions at the end created great conversations. Looking forward to more classics from Classic Starts.

[Kara]

This is a pretty good adaptation for younger readers. I tried to read the full Heidi to Eleanor but it was too wordy for her. Switching to this adaptation made it much easier for her to understand and she enjoyed it. You definitely lose some of the charm of the original, but get the general story.

[Tiana Thai]

How’s amazing this book❤️ it gave me a thousand of happiness through the story with a little girl and her own kind. Love the field, love the mountain, love the hut, love all the characters❤️❤️❤️

[YT]

very good and summarized

[Lise Mette]

Memories.

[Luciëlla]

⭐3.75
A very wholesome children's story.

[𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑖🕸️]

My great-grandma read this book to me when I was little🖤

[Chantel]

Adalee specifically, really enjoyed this.

[Amanda Winters]

This was the most delightful retelling of a wonderful classic. Loved reading it to my three year old daughter.

[Susan]

Read for work. No review.