Heidi

Here is a book that can change lives. It is a great escape from the greedy postmodern culture that is focused on the "I" and cannot seem to break its spell.
This simple yet profound book does much to remind us what is the most important value in life, relationship -- with each other and (dare I say it?) with God.

This is the version you want to read. Both children and adults will enjoy the flowing writing style. I believe this is the Charles Tritten translation which exudes warmth, joy and wonder, essential ingredients for a classic child’s book.

Depending on how old your child is or if they have been exposed to other books or films set in “olden times” you may want to spend time discussing the notion of a houseful of servants and their treatment or the age at when school was deemed mandatory. You may also want to be prepared to discuss the religious overtones to the story. If you are raising your child in a religious household, you will feel this book reinforces your teachings. If not, your child may have questions about the sentiments expressed. I was not raised in a religious household, but even at 8, I was certainly familiar with the notion of Christian prayer and the belief that one should put their trust in God through cultural osmosis. But as it wasn’t relevant to my secular upbringing, I just viewed that aspect of the storyline as a minor part you would expect to see in a book set in that historic time period and frankly didn’t even remember that part of the story when I recently reread this as an adult. What I remembered was being entranced with the description of Heidi’s life on the mountain with her grandfather and Peter, her adventures in Frankfurt, her friendship with Clara and the fact that it was set in a different time period and a different country. It still holds up today as a classic.