Heidi

Imagine opening a book and feeling a cool mountain breeze on your face. That's what it's like to open me. Inside my pages, you can hear the happy ringing of goat bells as they climb the tall, green mountains of the Swiss Alps. You can almost taste the fresh milk and crusty bread that a kind girl eats for her supper. This girl has rosy cheeks and a heart full of sunshine. She lives with her quiet grandfather in a little wooden cabin high above the clouds. She is full of joy and loves her home more than anything. I am the book that tells her story. I am the storybook, Heidi.

My creator was a wonderful woman named Johanna Spyri. She lived in a country called Switzerland, the same place where my story happens. She wanted to share the beauty of her mountain home with children all over the world, so she wrote my story a long, long time ago. My complete story was published for everyone to read in 1881. Inside my pages, you'll meet my special friends. First, there's Heidi, the cheerful girl who loves the mountains. Then there is her Grandfather, who seems grumpy at first but has a very kind heart. You'll also meet Peter, a boy who takes care of the goats every day. My story gets very exciting when Heidi has to leave her beloved mountains and go to a big city called Frankfurt. There, she meets a girl named Clara who uses a wheelchair and cannot walk. Heidi lives in a fancy house, but she feels sad and lonely because she misses the freedom of the mountains and the fresh, pine-scented air. She misses her Grandfather more than anything.

Soon, my story traveled far away from the Swiss mountains. People in other countries wanted to read about Heidi, so I was translated, which means my words were changed into many different languages. Children all over the world fell in love with Heidi's adventure. Why? Because my story is about how powerful friendship can be. It shows how the beauty of nature can help people feel happy and strong. When Clara comes to visit Heidi in the mountains, the fresh air and Heidi's friendship help her in a magical way. My story proves that being kind can make amazing things happen. Even today, you can find me in movies and on bookshelves in every corner of the world. I hope I can remind you that a little bit of sunshine from the mountains and a good friend can make any day much brighter.