"In the house of Herr Sesemann, in Frankfurt,
reclined the little sick daughter, Klara,
in her comfortable wheelchair.
She spent the whole day in it and was
pushed from one room to another.
She had a pale, thin face and gentle eyes."
Heidi, Chapter 6

The city of Frankfurt, Germany was 1200 years old in 1994.
Many famous writers and philosophers were from Frankfurt.

A person from Frankfurt you may know about is Anne Frank.

Click here for a great kids' overview of Frankfurt.

Click here to get more information about the city of Frankfurt.

Heidi had a rough time adjusting to life in the big city of Frankfurt, didn't she? She was homesick. I think most people get homesick at one time or the other.

It helps Heidi when she makes friends with Klara, and focuses on helping her. In the book Heidi Grows Up, Heidi has trouble adjusting when she goes away to school, also. But eventually, she makes friends and settles in. It just takes time.

Above is a picture of an antique wheelchair from the early 1900s.
(That's about 20 years after Johanna Spyri wrote Heidi.)
It looks pretty uncomfortable, doesn't it?
Below is one type of modern wheelchair designed specifically for children.
(I wish Klara had one of these.)