Heidi
Few children’s books have stayed as loved as Johanna Spyri’s tale of the orphan sent to live with her gruff grandfather in a hut high in the Swiss Alps. Heidi thrives there among the goats, the mountain air, and her friend Peter the goatherd, until she is taken away to Frankfurt to keep company with Clara, a wealthy girl who cannot walk. Homesickness nearly breaks her before she returns to the mountains she loves, and the story’s warmth reaches its peak when Clara comes to visit and the Alps work their own quiet cure. Published in two parts in 1880 and 1881, it remains a gentle argument for fresh air, kindness, and home. Free to read as a PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
Johanna Spyri (1827-1901) was a Swiss writer whose gentle stories celebrate childhood, nature, and the Alpine world she knew. Heidi, published when she was in her fifties, became a lasting classic, though she wrote many other books before her death in Zurich.
See all books by Johanna Spyri →
Listen to Heidi Audiobook Free
Listen to Heidi by Johanna Spyri free online. The full audiobook (9 hr 45 min, 23 chapters, read by Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)) streams free on this page.
Heidi (1880) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1 – Up the Mountain to Alm-Uncle | 32:54 | |
| 2 | Chapter 2 – At Home with Grandfather | 18:37 | |
| 3 | Chapter 3 – Out With The Goats | 31:04 | |
| 4 | Chapter 4 – The Visit to Grandmother | 31:32 | |
| 5 | Chapter 5 – Two Visits and What Came of Them | 23:40 | |
| 6 | Chapter 6 – A New Chapter About New Things | 18:41 | |
| 7 | Chapter 7 – Fraulein Rottenmeier Spends an Uncomfortable Day | 31:48 | |
| 8 | Chapter 8 – There is Great Commotion in the Large House | 24:17 | |
| 9 | Chapter 9 – Herr Sesemann Hears of Things Which are New to Him | 13:49 | |
| 10 | Chapter 10 – Another Grandmother | 21:42 | |
| 11 | Chapter 11 – Heidi Gains in One Way and Loses in Another | 11:50 | |
| 12 | Chapter 12 – A Ghost in the House | 25:28 | |
| 13 | Chapter 13 – A Summer Evening on the Mountain | 37:33 | |
| 14 | Chapter 14 – Sunday Bells | 30:03 | |
| 15 | Chapter 15 – Preparations for a Journey | 15:33 | |
| 16 | Chapter 16 – A Visitor | 20:01 | |
| 17 | Chapter 17 – A Compensation | 19:13 | |
| 18 | Chapter 18 – Winter in Dorfli | 24:00 | |
| 19 | Chapter 19 – The Winter Continues | 16:37 | |
| 20 | Chapter 20 – News from Distant Friends | 36:42 | |
| 21 | Chapter 21 – How Life Went on at Grandfather’s | 18:53 | |
| 22 | Chapter 22 – Something Unexpected Happens | 32:34 | |
| 23 | Chapter 23 – Goodbye Til We Meet Again | 48:49 |
Prefer reading? Read Heidi online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
