Gr 2-5-Listeners will enjoy this sunny version of the 19th century classic by Johanna Spyri. This story has been a favorite for more than a century, and the fresh format should be well-received by a new generation of children. The abridgement is well done, streamlining the storyline for modern ears but leaving in all the essential plot elements. British actress Teresa Gallagher has all the characters' voices well in hand, making it easy to discern their different personalities. She is supported by interludes of appropriate 19th century classical music that provides occasional breaks in the action and lends authenticity to the performance. A simple story that takes place in the Swiss Alps, Heidi goes up into the mountain to live with Grandfather, a gruff old man with a heart of gold, and spends many idyllic days helping Peter the goatherd. She is sent to Frankfurt to be a companion to Clara, an invalid girl, but is so homesick that she returns to Grandfather and her beloved mountain. Eventually Clara comes to visit and learns to walk. This classic will continue to delight youngsters.-Maura Martin Smith, Somerset Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Squeezing a 300-page (give or take a few) classic into a mere 32 pages may sound impossible, but this new Swiss translation not only pulls it off, it never sacrifices heart for succinct storytelling in the doing.Spyri's novel of a young girl who is sent to live with her grandfather in the mountains is retold here with accompanying lush watercolors and wide, sweeping panoramas. Dus"kov taps into the emotional core of this tale, making it accessible to all but the youngest readers. Though this version does rely to some extent on reducing individual scenes into their most essential parts, the narrative is smooth and consistent. Some parents will eschew this version for a bedtime reading of the original, but for those youngest children who still need a swath of beautiful pictures to carry them through the story, this may well fit the bill.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Spyri's classic gets a pared-down retelling in this picture-book adaptation aimed at younger audiences. The straightforward, descriptive narrative moves briskly through Heidi's arrival at Grandfather's cabin, her time with wheelchair-bound Klara in Frankfurt, her homesickness, and then her happy return to Grandfather's Swiss mountain home. The text includes many of the story's original elements, but there are some puzzling omissions; it's never mentioned that Heidi is an orphan, for example. With such a short length, the story has some abrupt transitions, including the characters' shifting attitudes and emotions, as in Grandfather's sudden change from grumpy to kind. In another scene, Peter, jealous of Klara, tosses her wheelchair off a cliff, but the action is glossed over as the story rushes to its happy ending. The colorful, soft illustrations depict Heidi in the idyllic, Alpine landscapes and upscale mansions, filled with period details. While it is certainly no substitute for the original, this slender offering is an accessible, visually appealing introduction to the classic story and its endearing, enduring main character.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2009 Booklist

rn afterword by Peter Glassman provides background information on the renowned Swiss author's first full-length novel and the American artist who was asked to illustrate an edition of the book in 1923. The illustrations -- ten color plates and twenty-three black-and-white drawings -- will beguile Jessie Willcox Smith fans as well as young readers first meeting Spyri's Alpine heroine. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.