Johanna Spyri Books in Order

Orphaned Heidi finds happiness with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps, then is sent to live in the city as a companion. Homesickness tests her resilience as she tries to reconcile affection for new friends with longing for the mountains.

After his father dies, Toni hopes to support his mother while pursuing his talent for woodcarving. Poverty sends him into mountain herding instead, where isolation and homesickness threaten the sensitive boy’s health and ambitions.

After her father’s death, Dora lives with an aunt and uncle and trains as a seamstress. A trip to the countryside brings new happiness, but unexpected difficulties threaten to end the visit and separate her from the life she loves.

An ailing girl named Nora travels to Switzerland in hope that a change of air will help her recover. Her story becomes intertwined with the lives of Gritli’s children, Fani and Elsli, after their mother’s death.

A lonely girl in the Swiss countryside struggles with isolation and doubts about her own worth. New friendships and patient kindness gradually help Cornelli discover confidence, offering a way beyond the unhappiness that has narrowed her world.

Young Sami and his grandmother face poverty and illness while trying to hold on to hope. The birds’ songs offer him a message of trust as changing circumstances leave the child confronting an uncertain future.

Rico and Stineli grow up in neighboring mountain cottages and become inseparable friends. Rico’s dreamy nature and growing love of music shape their childhood together, while their close bond offers companionship amid the demands of village life.

Three stories explore children’s friendships, hardships and moral choices in Switzerland. In the title story, a young goatherd’s devotion to a favorite animal puts him in a painful conflict between protecting his companion and telling the truth.

Erick and Sally form a friendship amid the countryside of Switzerland, sharing adventures and discoveries as they grow. Johanna Spyri’s story follows their companionship through the small joys and challenges that shape the experience of childhood.

The Bergmann children grow up among the valleys and old castles of Switzerland, each bringing a different temperament to family life. Their adventures become entwined with a noble family’s history, guided by their mother’s patience and affection.

Growing up in the Swiss Alps, Vinzi feels drawn to music rather than the practical work his father expects of him. His sensitivity to the sounds of nature creates a conflict between family duty and an emerging artistic calling.

These two stories explore children’s search for a home and a sense of belonging. In the first, orphaned Rico leaves the Swiss Alps for Italy, guided by memories of his father’s music and his friendship with Stineli.

Three stories, Peppino, Eveli the Little Singer, and The Stauffer Mill, bring together Spyri’s portraits of young people facing difficult circumstances. The collection explores childhood hopes, kindness, and belonging through lives shaped by family and community.

Two children draw close after early tragedies, but growing older leads them toward different ambitions. Their contrasting responses to opportunity and hardship turn their friendship into a story about patience, character and the consequences of personal choices.

Rose-Resli finds beauty in gathering roses despite poverty and a difficult daily life. Her kindness toward a lonely widow creates an unexpected bond, as generosity, faith, and community become part of her effort to manage hardship.

A young Swiss woman leaves her village to study medicine, entering a world shaped by conflicting expectations for women. Her education and emerging independence reveal tensions between rural and urban life, religious beliefs, family obligations, and professional ambition.