Well to continue from yesterday’s question on movie novelizations, I introduce the novelization of the Shirely Temple movie, Heidi. Obviously based on the original Heidi books, it is a decent retelling keeping the major plot points in utilizing language that 9-12 year olds would easily understand.

The highlight of the book, of course, is the stills within of the Heidi movie with Shirley’s irrespresible smile and dimples. Seriously, how can one little girl loook so cute?

But unless you’re a Shirley Temple fan, there’s no great need to get this book. There’s no twists or insights or new perspectives, just another kid’s version of the Heidi story.

However, if you are a Shirley fan, I do suggest the biography, The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression: Shirley Temple and 1930s America by John F. Kasson that gives context to why Shirley Temple mania hit just the spot during the Great Depression, its long range across America, and how FDR used it to augument his message to the public that with hard work and smile, brighter days were ahead.