Unexpected Intersections

When I was in the third grade, the teacher organized a holiday gift exchange. In that exchange, I received a copy of the book Heidi , by Johanna Spyri, and a package of a candy called Bottlecaps. Whoever wrapped the book had tucked the flat package of candy under the front cover, permanently affecting the cover and binding. This bothered my third-grade, book-loving self a great deal. Although I was an avid reader, I am not sure I ever finished reading Heidi . It was an old story, even then, and storytelling conventions and language had evolved since it was written. I had no idea when I received that book as a third grader that eventually I would live in Heidi's homeland of Switzerland. Recently a friend and I visited the Swiss National Museum to view their special exhibit about the making of the anime version of Heidi.