Johanna Spyri's first book -- entitled A Leaf on Vrony's Grave -- was published in 1871. A year later she published a great pile of tales for both adults and children, among them the tale of Heidi that became an instant and enduring success. Heidi, the story of an orphan girl who lives with her grandfather in the Alps, is not only famous for its vivid portrayal of the landscape but also for its understanding of how children see life and their feelings. This book, which features two of Spyri's shorter tales, "Moni the Goat-Boy" and "What Sami Sings with the Birds," displays the charms of Spyri's work quite beautifully. Like all her work, these stories are not to be missed.

Author Biography

Johanna Louise Spyri, nee Heusser (1827 - 1901) was a Swiss-born author of novels, notably children's stories and is best known for her book Heidi. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers near Chur in Graubunden, the setting she later would use in her novels. In 1852, Johanna Heusser married Bernhard Spyri. Bernhard was a lawyer. Whilst living in the city of Zurich she began to write about life in the country. Her first story, A Note on Vrony's Grave, which deals with a woman's life of domestic violence, was published in 1880; the following year further stories for both adults and children appeared, among them the novel Heidi, which she wrote in four weeks. Heidi is the story of an orphan girl who lives with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps and is famous for its vivid portrayal of the landscape.