Words for Wednesday: Heidi (July 3)

So I forgot to bring my 100 Years of Solitude to work the other day and was faced with about 3 hours of nothing to do (I was at an elementary school that only had a half day because summer vacation is starting).  Luckily I have a smart phone that has some free book downloads.  So, after browsing through a bunch of random classic titles, I decided to read Heidi.

I have seen the movies before and most likely read some version of the story in childhood, but this is the real deal (again, back to what I said in the last post about reading classics that don't skimp on vocabulary).  I am surprised at how there isn't a real villain (yet) but rather just some adults that are taken aback by Heidi's rough upbringing of living with an old man in a cabin in the woods. 

In the cartoon I watched over and over and over again as a child, the movie started out with the Grandpa being quite scary.  He then turned nice and was replaced by the evil governess and guardian, Fräulein Rottenmeier.  And there was also an evil rat.

I would think that this would be a little boring for small children reading/listening to the story being read considering most books have a strong "good vs evil" element.  Though Heidi feels a little trapped, all of the motives of the characters are explained to the reader and so we understand that they have good intentions.  For example, in the movie Heidi gets locked away in some evil plot, but in the book she is merely sent to her room.  Of course, I am only half way through.  It might get "evil" the further I read.

What is nice is the added detail of life in that day and age.  I love history and am always happy to step into a new era.  I like the descriptions of what daily life is like for Grandpa/Uncle up on the mountain and how he makes/grows/raises everything he needs.  I also like the details about Peter's (the goat herders) life and how he only goes to school when it is cold or snowing.  The descriptions of old Frankfurt are wonderful too.  For example, when Klara's father asks Heidi to get him a "fresh glass of water," she leaves the house and walks several blocks to a pump.  And while she is there, a man asks if he might use her glass to get a drink before she returns

Anyway, though it is a classic it is meant for children so it is an easy read and flows along quickly.


PS Two totally new revelations.  Heidi was brunette and Swiss!  I always thought she was German and Blonde!  And her real name is Adelheid and Heidi is considered a stange name by the cultured people in Frankfurt.  Who knew?  Next thing I know I am going to read that Dracula was a woman or that Alice in Wonderland was a Russian girl!