Toni, the Little Woodcarver

In Johanna Spyri's Alpine tale, a humble family's quiet life in a stone hut above Kandergrund is shattered by sudden loss. Toni, a diligent laborer, and his loving wife Elsbeth raise their little son in warmth, faith, and simple joy, until a falling rock kills the father and leaves mother and child facing grief and poverty alone. Elsbeth's prayers and hymns become the story's spiritual center, answering suffering with endurance, hope, and trust in God's care. As little Toni grows, he proves tender-hearted and eager to help his mother, but school leaves him restless until he discovers a gift for drawing and carving animals from wood. When he turns twelve, his dream of becoming a wood-carver seems within reach after the pastor directs him to a master in Frutigen, yet the cost of training crushes his hopes. Later, Toni reaches a sanitarium withdrawn and unresponsive, and even the doctor cannot rouse him. Only Elsbeth's arrival, her tears, and her prayerful hymn begin to stir him, suggesting that love and faith may still heal what hardship has broken. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.