When the Sesemann family and their friend Dr Classen, who were so kind to Heidi during her stay in Frankfurt, visit her and her grandfather at their home in the Swiss Alps, young Klara Sesemann, an invalid, chooses to stay on for a while alone in the hope that the healthy mountain lifestyle and the expert nursing of Heidi’s grandfather will do her good. Unfortunately, Heidi’s devoted attention to Klara excites the jealousy of the goatherd Peter, who senses that the stranger has supplanted him in his only friend’s affections. A fit of rage prompts Peter to commit an act intended to end Klara’s stay on the mountain, which sets into motion a series of events that will produce a positive, unhoped-for outcome.

Beloved of generations of young people, Johanna Spyri’s sequel to Heidi: Lessons at Home and Abroad is another cornerstone of children’s literature and every bit as beguiling and heart-warming as the first volume. It is here presented in a brand-new, unabridged translation by Peter James Bowman, once again beautifully illustrated by Susan Hellard.