I always loved the movie 'Heidi' starring Shirley Temple (which I discovered is on YouTube in its entirety!) and the book was just as sweet, although different from the version I remember.

I noticed a theme with another Puffin in Bloom classic, 'Anne of Green Gables,' that the setting and nature itself had a profound impact on the main characters. 'Visit Swiss Alps' is now officially on my bucket list, though, after reading Spyri's detailed description of life in the mountains.

'It's the sun's way of saying goodnight to the mountains,' he explained. 'He spreads that beautiful light over them so that they won't forget him till he comes back in the morning.'

Heidi liked this explanation very much, and longed for another day to begin so that she could go up and watch the sun's goodnight again. But first she had to go to bed, and all night long she slept peacefully on her mattress of hay, dreaming of mountains and flowers and of Snowflake bounding happily about in the midst of it all.

Heidi was back on the mountain, running hither and thither to all her old haunts, unable as ever to decide which she liked best. She listened entranced to the sound of the wind blowing down from the heights, gathering strength as it came nearer, till it came up with the fir trees, and spent itself on their branches. She lay on the ground and watched the beetles in the grass. She listened to the hum and buzz of insects. It seemed to her that all those tiny creatures were singing "We're on the mountain! We're on the mountain!" in tune with her own heart. Her lips parted and she drew in great draughts of the fine sparkling air, and thought that spring had never been so beautiful before.

It was dusk when Heidi went home, and the stars came twinkling out one by one as she climbed up to the hut, sending her a greeting out of the sky. She stopped sometimes to gaze up at them, feeling a deep peacefulness in her heart, and said a little prayer of thanks. She found her grandfather also looking at the stars spangling the heavens so brilliantly.