1. Explore the meaning and importance of light in the book. Some of its forms are concrete while others are abstract.

2. Contrast the various elements of Heidi's home—the fir trees, the goats, the house itself, the sky, the flowers, the great bird—with Clara's home in the city of Frankfurt. What general patterns are revealed in these specific differences?

3. Grandmamma Sesemann tells Heidi that even when her prayers seem to be ignored, God is still listening. She assures Heidi that "God is a good father to us all, and knows better than we do what is good for us. If we ask Him for something that is not good for us, He does not give it, but something better still, if only we continue to pray earnestly and do not run away and lose our trust in Him...