Author Description

Review "Heidi has charmed and intrigued readers since its original publication in 1880...Spryi's story will never grow wearisome."-- "Amazon.com, editorial review" Product Description High in the Swiss Alps, Heidi, a five-year-old orphan, comes to live with her grandfather. His neighbors say he is a fierce old hermit of whom they are all afraid. Heidi, however, proves to be a remarkable, unaffected child, who quickly charms her grandfather. In fact, for Heidi, nothing could be better than living with him. She has a genuine enthusiasm for life in the mountains: for the goats, which she helps Peter to tend, the spring flowers on the Alm, and the simple hay bed that she occupies in the loft. However, her Aunt Dete doesn't understand, and it is a sad day when she takes Heidi to live in a strange city with a strange family that wants a companion for their young invalid daughter named Klara. Heidi does her best to be a friend to Klara, but her longing for home becomes too much to bear.This beloved classic has delighted children and their parents for decades and will continue to do so with its winning heroine, memorable characters, and engaging portrait of a quaint Alpine village. About the Author Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) was an author of children's stories, and is best known for Heidi. She was born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland in 1827. As a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubunden, where she would later set Heidi. She married in 1852, and her first story was published in 1871.Johanna Ward (a.k.a. Kate Reading) is an Audie Award-winning narrator and has received numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine. She is also a theater actor in the Washington, DC, area and has been a member of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company since 1987. Her work onstage has been recognized by the Helen Hayes Awards Society, among others. She and her husband live in Hyattsville, Maryland, with their two c