What do you think?
Rate this book
Heidi Annotated
Heidi is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as Her Years of Wandering and Learning ( Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and How She Used What She Learned ( Heidi kann brauchen, was es gelernt hat). It is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her paternal grandfather's care in the Swiss Alps. It was written as a book "for children and those who love children" (as quoted from its subtitle).
162 pages, Hardcover
Published November 28, 2021
About the author
Johanna Spyri
1,344 books1,039 followersJohanna Spyri was a Swiss author of children's stories, best known for Heidi. Born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 12, 2026
Such a treat to revisit this book- I really treasured it as a read aloud with my daughter!
May 24, 2025
Reading this brought me back to my childhood for a few hours. I loved this story as a child, and I loved the movie adaptation starring Shirley Temple.
January 29, 2026
such a cute story
July 21, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
I know it’s from the 1880’s, but I still can’t get past racism and I really didn’t like Peter… yes he’s a child but I’ll never accept the beating of animals!
It was also heavy on the Christianity with made me skim some parts, especially towards the end, but I still really loved the story. It was cute and the setting is just 🤌✨
I know it’s from the 1880’s, but I still can’t get past racism and I really didn’t like Peter… yes he’s a child but I’ll never accept the beating of animals!
It was also heavy on the Christianity with made me skim some parts, especially towards the end, but I still really loved the story. It was cute and the setting is just 🤌✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2023
This books takes me sooo back to my childhood. While I prefer the series, the book reminded me of so many good moments that I can't avoid to give it a five out of five. I must mention that I was so scared by how passive-aggressive Peter is in the novel, didn't see that coming...
May 24, 2023
Charming and edifying!
September 4, 2025
Just a nostalgic re-read to help me through some trying times. Always a favorite!
April 26, 2026
What fun to read this book again after 40ish years!
May 26, 2026
What a sweet girl & captivating look at life in the 1800s in the Swiss Alps. Little Heidi was so wise for her age. I love how matter-of-fact she talks to others about how God works.
February 8, 2023
💙💙💙💙💙
𝖧𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗅𝗒 𝖱𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝖽 😇❤️📚
This was an adventure of the sweetest kind. I would love to live on the mountain with Heidi and her grandfather.
What a delightful story about a little girl who grew up in the mountains with her grandfather, Uncle Alp, Peter and Grannie and her wonderful Friends who became family, Clara, Grandmamma and the Dr.
It was all so vividly written, I could see the mountaintops and fir trees with the Hawk flying over and the Goats Daisy and Dusky, snowflake and Turk and all bounding up the mountain with Peter and Heidi.
A lovely read.
𝖧𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗅𝗒 𝖱𝖾𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝖽 😇❤️📚
This was an adventure of the sweetest kind. I would love to live on the mountain with Heidi and her grandfather.
What a delightful story about a little girl who grew up in the mountains with her grandfather, Uncle Alp, Peter and Grannie and her wonderful Friends who became family, Clara, Grandmamma and the Dr.
It was all so vividly written, I could see the mountaintops and fir trees with the Hawk flying over and the Goats Daisy and Dusky, snowflake and Turk and all bounding up the mountain with Peter and Heidi.
A lovely read.
April 7, 2023
L’histoire est celle dont je me souvenais: belle, touchante, qui fait rêver toute les petites filles qui rêvent d’aventure. On envie Heidi malgré sa triste histoire. Anglais assez facile à lire.
December 30, 2023
Ok, this book was so nostalgic to read, I kept thinking about my childhood copy and the anime version I watched a million times and never mind the meme of the kids in the mountains (iykyk). All of that contributed to my first instinct of giving this a 4 stars, but then I realized this week that I forgot to review it! So it couldn't possibly be a 4-star book.
The story is about a little girl who lives in the mountains with her grandfather and one day, without anyone's consent, btw ( first problem) she is taken to live as a companion to a little girl who has been in a wheelchair.
The second problem is precisely that, has to be someone else's companion, work as someone's friend, and of course they are giving her schooling and a home, but no body asked her or her grandfather and to top it all of, it's religious people who do this, which always baffles me.
When the father of the girl learns this, he does take her back, so it does have a happy ending. Everyone is where they belong, and the little girl in the wheelchair walks with the help of Heidi and some fresh air ( also some ablelisim here ).
There are a lot of similarities to the secret garden but more problematic in the way the story is depicted, and although I understand the time it was written in, there's still a lot of thing that are presented as problematic but are never given proper consequences.
Overall, as a classic, I am glad I read it , but I can't say that it's my favorite.
The story is about a little girl who lives in the mountains with her grandfather and one day, without anyone's consent, btw ( first problem) she is taken to live as a companion to a little girl who has been in a wheelchair.
The second problem is precisely that, has to be someone else's companion, work as someone's friend, and of course they are giving her schooling and a home, but no body asked her or her grandfather and to top it all of, it's religious people who do this, which always baffles me.
When the father of the girl learns this, he does take her back, so it does have a happy ending. Everyone is where they belong, and the little girl in the wheelchair walks with the help of Heidi and some fresh air ( also some ablelisim here ).
There are a lot of similarities to the secret garden but more problematic in the way the story is depicted, and although I understand the time it was written in, there's still a lot of thing that are presented as problematic but are never given proper consequences.
Overall, as a classic, I am glad I read it , but I can't say that it's my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews