As one of the best-selling children’s classics of all time, Heidi has been adapted for the screen numerous times, including the famous 1937 film starring Shirley Temple. Heidiland remains an important tourist destination in author Johanna Spyri’s native Switzerland, and the success of the book lead to two sequels, Heidi Grows Up, and Heidi’s Children.
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Johanna Spyri (1827-1901), a lifelong resident of Switzerland, began to write stories to earn money for refugees from the Franco-Prussian War. Heidi, her first novel, was also her most successful, though she wrote many other children's books. Spyri's firm belief in the natural innocence of children and their ability to grow up into decent, caring adults if left to their own devices was remarkably similar to that of her Danish contemporary, Hans Christian Andersen.