Who’s who in Heidi, the 1881 novel by Johanna Spyri, with a guide to every character in our retelling for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
Heidi has a small cast, and every person in it is easy to love or at least to understand. In the Alps, Heidi, her gruff grandfather Alm-Uncle, Peter the goatherd and his blind grandmother form a little community that grows closer as the story goes on. In Frankfurt, Clara, her grandmother Grandmamma Sesemann, the kind doctor and the strict Fräulein Rottenmeier are the people Heidi meets in the big city.
For parents and teachers, the cast is a good way to talk about kindness, jealousy, homesickness and forgiveness. Peter does something wrong and learns that telling the truth matters. Clara grows strong in the mountain air. Even the stern characters are not simple villains. Use the guides below to see each character’s part in the original novel by Johanna Spyri, and to find questions to ask your child after reading.
Mountain orphan • Full of joy
Heidi is a cheerful orphan girl with dark curls who goes to live with her grandfather high in the Swiss Alps, where she loves the goats, the wildflowers and the glowing sunset peaks. When she is taken to the city of Frankfurt, she makes a dear friend in Clara but misses her mountain terribly. Wherever she goes, Heidi’s warm heart brings people closer together.
Full character guide
Heidi’s grandfather • Gruff and tender
Alm-Uncle is Heidi’s gray-bearded grandfather, who lives alone in a log cabin high on the mountain beneath three tall fir trees. He seems stern and grumpy when Heidi first arrives, but she soon warms his heart, and he makes her a hay bed, toasts cheese for her supper and fixes Peter’s grandmother’s shaky cottage. With Heidi’s help, he becomes part of the village again.
Full character guide
The goatherd boy • Bold and hungry
Peter is the young goatherd who leads the village goats up to the high pastures each day, and he becomes Heidi’s first mountain friend. When Clara comes to visit, Peter feels left out and jealous and does something he later regrets. In the end he helps Clara on the mountain and bravely tells the truth about what he did.
Full character guide
Heidi’s city friend • Gentle and patient
Clara Sesemann is a sweet, gentle girl who lives in a grand house in Frankfurt and uses a wheelchair. She is often lonely until Heidi arrives with stories of goats, eagles and glowing mountain peaks, and the two girls become dear friends. Later Clara visits the Alps, where fresh air, goat milk and Heidi’s cheerful company help her grow stronger every day.
Full character guide
Strict city housekeeper • Rules and order
Fräulein Rottenmeier is the strict housekeeper of the Sesemann house in Frankfurt, and she is shocked by Heidi’s country clothes and friendly questions. She cares a great deal about manners and gets startled very easily, from tiny kittens to rumors of a ghost. She tells Heidi not to talk about the mountains, which makes Heidi feel even more homesick.
Full character guide
Clara’s grandmother • Kind and clever
Grandmamma Sesemann is Clara’s cheerful grandmother, with silver curls, a lavender dress and sparkling blue eyes. When Heidi thinks reading is too hard, Grandmamma sits beside her and patiently helps the letters turn into words. She comforts Heidi when she is sad, brings warm gifts to Peter’s grandmother, and gently forgives Peter when he tells the truth.
Full character guide
Family doctor • Wise and gentle
Doctor Classen is the Sesemann family’s kind doctor, with silver hair and gentle eyes. He helps solve the mystery of the open front door at night, understands that Heidi is deeply homesick for her mountain, and insists she must go home. Later, carrying a sorrow of his own, he visits the Alps, where Heidi’s joy helps him smile again.
Full character guide
Peter’s grandmother • Patient and humble
Peter’s grandmother lives in a drafty little cottage on the mountainside, where she spends her days spinning wool. She is blind, and she treasures Heidi’s visits, saying Heidi’s voice is like sunshine, while Heidi saves soft bread for her and learns to read so she can share hymns with her. By the end, many friends make sure she is warm and cared for.
Full character guide