Review: Heidi

Yodelay, yodelay, yodelayheehoo! There's no actual yodelling in Heidi, the classic children's novel by Johanna Spyri. Nor does a cherubic Shirley Temple pop out to say all the charming platitudes that the little Swiss girl spouts during the book. But otherwise, it was much like I remembered it from reading it in my younger days.

Orphaned at an early age, Heidi is sent to live with her curmudgeon of a grandfather high in the Swiss Alps. But Heidi soon finds that things are not always what others say they are, makes friends with her grandfather, and happily runs wild in the glorious mountains with the goat boy, Peter, and his goats.

Suddenly her aunt returns, and Heidi finds herself confined in the city to be companion to the invalid Klara. But Heidi is bitterly unhappy away from her grandfather and the outdoor life she has grown to love.

There's actually a lot in common between this book, which I enjoyed, and The Secret Garden, which I did not (link goes to my recent review). I don't know what the difference was. For example, where I found Colin in The Secret Garden to be insufferable, I thought Klara was quite sweet. This is definitely a kids' book - I don't expect to see it suddenly become hot beach reading - but I thought it was charming to read again. Buy Heidi on Amazon or download free at Project Gutenberg.

Review: The Secret Garden

Here are my thoughts on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett in one sentence: Not as good as I remembered it. Doesn't that suck?

For those of you who haven't read it, or read it so long ago you can't remember it: Contrary little Mary is sent to live with a relative on the Yorkshire Moors after her parents and household die in India. The spoiled girl has never even dressed herself and is quite friendless. But with the help of two boys, a gardener, and an abandoned garden, she becomes a new person.

Clearly, I have become a jaded, terrible person, one who can't even enjoy such a magical story. I felt terrible for Mary and was happy about her transformation - but found angelic Dickon to be annoying and Colin to be insufferable. That said, I loved this book when I was a girl so hopefully someday, if I read this to my little M, I'll be able to enjoy it through her again. Until then, I think I'm too old to enjoy this one.

Buy The Secret Garden on Amazon. Or do what I did, and download it free via Project Gutenberg.

Review: The Magician's Elephant

The Magician's Elephant is a fable about a boy, named Peter, who is looking for his sister. It is also about an elephant, and the magician who magically brought her to their city. Like all good fables, it is also about something more - in this case, its about truth, family and, according to author Kate DiCamillo, "believing in the impossible, and the impossible becoming possible."

What first attracted me to this book were the amazing illustrations by Yoko Tanaka. They really give the story a dreamy mood. My copy of the book (an ARC) didn't have all the illustrations, and they alone are worth buying a finished copy. It was almost a bonus that The Magician's Elephant is so well written. I know this is a long quote, but I just found it to be lovely.

The elephant was saying her name to herself.

It was not a name that would make any sense to humans. It was an elephant name - a name that her brothers and sisters knew her by, a name that they spoke to her in laughter and in play. It was the name that her mother had given to her and that she had spoken to her often and with love.

Deep within herself, the elephant said this name, her name, over and over again.

She was working to remind herself of who she was. She was working to remember that, somewhere, in another place entirely, she was known and loved.

(from the ARC - the language in the final copy may be different)

The one critique I have of this book is that it moves a little slow. I think this is in keeping with it being a fable, as the story's magical quality lends itself to a measured pace. But it makes me question how some children would react to the story, and whether they'd be captivated. I think this would work for many children as a bedtime story, and that adults would be charmed by it as well.

Buy The Magician's Elephant on Amazon.