The idea of a person’s character is dominant throughout this book. Some characters are unambiguously good; others, like Dede, unambiguously bad. (That’s why Heidi won’t give up the red shawl for something nicer: she doesn’t want Grandfather to associate her character with Dede’s.) Other people are more complicated than they first appear. We are led to question Grandfather’s character, until the first moment he and Heidi are alone. What is it in his first few words or actions that reassure us he can be trusted, despite his past? Does he deserve the treatment the villagers have given him? Why or why not?

What is it about Peter that makes him likable and good, even though he is jealous to the point of destruction and pretended violence? Point out that sometimes the best in people only comes out under pressure – as happened with Grandfather and Peter. Talk about good people making bad mistakes — for instance, why does Sebastian not take Heidi all the way home, as ordered? Is Fraulein Rottenmeier as rotten as she seems, or is it just that she lives in fear? How do you know?

Like real people in real life, it’s easy to make presumptions. Heidi knows this! Ask the kids why she insists on returning to the Alps in her old red shawl. Remind them that what we look like on the outside can give people an idea of what we’re like on the inside, too. Is this fair, or unfair?

When Dede first takes Heidi to stay with Grandfather, she doesn’t think of her mission as delivering the child to a home. But Heidi is perfectly at home there — in fact, it’s staying away that makes her ill.  Ask the kids about the definition of home. Why does Heidi not feel at home with sweet Clara in the Sessemans’ lovely mansion?  Why is her health restored when she is restored to the Alps?  (Explain that to restore means to put something back where it belongs.)

Talk about the healing powers of nature as shown throughout the story. From the very first chapter when Heidi sheds her layers of clothes on the mountainside, we know the great outdoors is going to be held up against the man-made world. Ask the kids how we know what the narrator thinks of both Frankfurt and the Alps. How do they know? Point out that it’s not the doctor or cod-liver oil that heals Heidi; it’s the fresh air, the sound of the firs in the wind, and being with people she loves. Note that Clara is not healed until her man-made chair is destroyed.

Who else is healed, in a different way, by spending time in the mountains? What are some things that are restored besides physical health? Ask the kids if they are familiar with the biblical story of the prodigal son. Why does it have such a strong effect on grandfather? What kind of restoration does it lead to for him?

Heidi gives from her heart without thinking of the inconvenience or cost to herself. How is she enticed to go to Frankfurt? How is grandfather first persuaded to fix the old grandmothers dilapidated home? Talk about the motivating value of positive expectations, and the universal response to appreciation. Heidi would always rather do something for others than something for herself.

Ask the kids if they remember her few moments of anger. At whom are they directed, and why? Does Peter like to give to anyone at all?

Talk to the kids about the best reasons for giving – not to feel proud or good, but to truly help others, without hoping for any reward. If you’re having them do the creative writing worksheet "The Heidi Effect," ask volunteers to read their journal entries out loud. Those who share will likely warm everyone’s heart — like Heidi.