Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Book Review: Heidi by Johanna Spyri

I just finished reading Heidi aloud to the kids. What a sweet story! 

Heidi is a happy, optimistic girl. She loves nothing more than being on the mountain, enjoying the flowers and goats, as well as her beloved grandfather and neighbors.

When she is taken away to live in the city with a wealthy family, to keep Clara company, both Heidi and her grandfather are very unhappy. Still, Heidi is able to form a deep friendship with Clara, who is ill and cannot walk.

Soon enough, though, Heidi is able to return to her beloved mountain air.

This Pollyanna-type book is full of joyful raptures, references to God and why he sometimes doesn't answer our prayers right away, loving relationships, forgiveness, and the joy of simple living.

We loved this book. I have to say, it can get a little slow at times, so I recommend it for experiences listeners (whether young or old) who can delight in passages about beautiful flowers and such.

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin. 2006

Call me prejudiced, but anytime the word “dog” is in the title of a book, I tend to regard it with suspicion. Is this another tragic dog story that is designed solely to make you weep??? Fortunately, the reviews (not to mention the cover and flaps) soon persuaded me that this was not that kind of ‘dog’ book. No, THE YEAR OF THE DOG is clearly a book about a Chinese-American family (or to bemore precise a Tiawanese-American family). The bookend events of this book is Chinese New Year. The book follows the life of a young girl, “Grace” (or Pacy) through the course of a year. Along the way she makes new friends, learns some important lessons, and learns more about who she really is. The highlight of the book for me was the character’s transformation as she begins to take pride in who she is and embraces her culture by writing and narrating a book for a contest at school. Another highlight for me--that I absolutely loved--was the storytelling nature of the book. Chapters would be interrupted as family stories were shared. I loved the whole atmosphere of this book.

The author, Grace Lin, has written several picture books. This is her first novel. “I wrote it because this was the book I wished I had growing up.” I consider The Year of the Dog an essential must-have for any collection, and a must-read for every child. It really doesn’t get better than this. And the good news??? I just discovered that there will be a sequel THE YEAR OF THE RAT coming in 2008!!!!

Recommended Readers: 7 and up.

Posted by Becky Laney, regular contributor
Becky's Book Reviews