Heidi (Paperless Edition) characters

Appears from the start

A cheerful five-year-old orphan whose aunt takes her to live with her reclusive grandfather high on a Swiss alp. Heidi is trusting, curious, and immediately delighted by the mountain, the fir trees, and her new home.

Also known as Alm-Uncle

Appears from the start

Heidi's paternal grandfather, who lives alone in a hut above the village. The villagers regard him as forbidding and unsociable, but he accepts responsibility for Heidi when Dete leaves her with him.

Appears from the start

Heidi's aunt and former guardian. Having found employment away from the village, she brings Heidi to Grandfather and insists that he must now care for the child.

First appears in chapter 3

The village boy who takes the local goats to pasture each day. He becomes Heidi's first young companion on the mountain and teaches her the routines and hazards of the herd.

First appears in chapter 4

Peter's mother, who lives with Peter and his blind grandmother in a small, weathered house below the alp.

Also known as Grannie

First appears in chapter 4

Peter's elderly blind grandmother. She welcomes Heidi warmly and treasures the child's visits, conversation, and concern for the family's uncomfortable home.

Also known as Clara

First appears in chapter 6

A girl in Frankfurt who cannot walk and spends much of her time in a wheeled chair. Lonely despite her wealthy household, she is pleased when Heidi arrives to be her companion.

First appears in chapter 6

The strict housekeeper who controls the Sesemann home in Clara's father's absence. Formal and easily unsettled, she expects Heidi to adapt at once to the household's lessons and rules.

First appears in chapter 6

A good-natured servant in the Sesemann household. He is amused by Heidi's unconventional behavior and often treats her more kindly than the housekeeper does.

First appears in chapter 9

Clara's frequently absent father. When he returns to Frankfurt, he tries to judge fairly between Miss Rottenmeier's complaints and Clara's affection for Heidi.

Also known as Grandmamma

First appears in chapter 10

Clara's warm, perceptive grandmother. She quickly understands Heidi better than the rest of the Frankfurt household and patiently encourages the child in her reading.

First appears in chapter 12

A trusted physician and friend of the Sesemann family who is asked to investigate the strange nighttime disturbances in their house.