The Swiss Family Robinson

by Chris Tait, Johann David Wyss, Jamel Akib (Illustrations)

A shipwreck; a deserted island; a single family, wondering if they can survive. Rich in suspense and surprises, "The Swiss Family Robinson" entices young readers to come along on a wonderful adventure, where each moment brings a new thrill. Featuring amazingly resourceful characters and a wondrous landscape bursting with exotic wildlife and plants, it's an irresistible tale of ingenuity.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, 2nd Grade

160 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate reading abridged versions of things, and this abridged version didn't announce itself as such. I only figured it out when reading reviews to see what other people made of this strange book, and realized they had read something completely different from what I just finished.

On the one hand, I don't think I would have wanted to read a much longer version. It was an adventure book meant for children, and it was much less concerned with the reality of what it would be like to be shipwrecked on an island than with describing all kinds of wondrous animals and plants.

This island had penguins and flamingos, lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), elephants, hippos, jackals, boa constrictors, ostriches, capybaras, kangaroos. And monkeys. And walruses and rabbits. That's all I can think of for now. Also, anything you might need to eat, build, or wear - there's a plant for that, and the father knew how to identify and use all of them expertly.

Very many additional useful items could be obtained from the wrecked ship, which was wedged into some rocks not far from shore, until the family inexplicably decided to blow it up, unconcerned about wasting wood and gunpowder. If I lived on an island populated by the animals listed above, I'd be pathological about conserving gunpowder.

So once I accepted where the book was going, I could have been enchanted by it but the writing was flat and unexciting. This may be partly due to the translation. I don't feel that I can fairly rate the book since I didn't read the whole thing. A very annoying aspect of the abridgment was the careful removal of all references to God and prayer, which from the other reviews I learned were abundant in the original. Yeah, you wouldn't want to expose children to THAT.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars for the actual story.
1 star for the writing style of this particular version.

I do NOT recommend this Classic Starts version. It was painful reading. If you're familiar with showing versus telling in a story, I'll sum this up by stating that this is all telling and no showing. It was like a really quick travel log. Just as soon as you read that there was a problem, there was a really easy and rather convenient solution to the problem right along with it. I don't feel like I experienced any of the story and I didn't connect with any of the characters.

The story itself was okay, but could have been much better if it hadn't been a simple series of events. There was no real conflict, and the family didn't progress in character. For an adventure story, it was lacking so much excitement and adventure. The easiness of everything was very annoying.

[Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very good, although they could have shortened their killing range. It was like this, "Hey look! There's a kangaroo! BANG." I am glad that they hardly used any resources from the island when they made their home. They used wooden planks from the shipwreck. But they hunted too much, even when they didn't need it. I liked how thoughtful they were and how they learned to survive in the winter by carving a second house out of a big mountain rock. In the summer, they returned to their little tiny hut. They were smart and resourceful. But they killed too much.

[Tayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, but there wasn't really a climax. It was more of a journal.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must’ve said, “don’t eat that!” at least twenty times while reading this lol.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a cute classic kids read! Made me feel nostalgic for the days when I first read this story and watched the Disney movie. I will always love these characters and their adventures!

[Pau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se me hizo un poco extraño como la familia reaccionó al tener que ser naúragos y como le hicieron para establecerse tan bien en la isla. Además nunca entendí por que los que estaban con ellos en el barco literalmente los dejaron...emm ok?.
Esperaba un poco de dificultades para adaptarse y más problemas en la naturaleza, pero pareció que todo salí bien y sabían hacer todo tipo dee cosas. Tenían todos los recursos que necesitaban en la isla y al parecer la familia entera era super inteligente. Al principio eso me gustó, pero la verdad, luego se me hizo aburrido. No sé, pero esto hizo que la historia perdiera el realismo, tal vez ese sea el punto del libro, osea, ver que la familia Robinson es muy unidad he intelligente, pero aun así, nunca pasó nada interesante, solo eran los niños haciendo cosas con los animales, el papá y Fritz en bote y construyendo y la mamá haciendo ropa.
No esperaría que la reacción de alguien que acaba de naufragar sea " bueno, al parecer nos tendremos que quedar en esta isla 13 años con nuestros hijos pequeños que todavía necesitan educación, pero hay animales y podemos construir cosas asi que no importa." No sé, no creo que haya sido algo íncreible.

[Laura]

My six-year-old gives this book “1,000 out of 5 stars,” loved the adventures, and didn’t want it to end. My four-year-old gave it 1 of 5 stars because he thought the ending was sad.

[Leah Cheli · Rating 2 out of 5]

We listened to this 2-hour abridged/rewritten version of the story on a car trip. It was entertaining, but only because it was so bad. We were laughing half the time at the scientific inaccuracies, gender roles, and place names. Having not read the original and only having seen the Disney film, I cannot say what was left out from Wyss' novel. This version seems to be written to be accessible to children, but I can't see it keeping the attention of anyone under the age of 12. I plan to read the original/unabridged version soon.

Minor spoilers: I expect the geographic errors - buffalo, lions, tigers, and kangaroos all on one island? - were intentional from the original. The recurring "kill the mother animal and eat her, then domesticate her orphaned baby" theme was a little disturbing, but I really can't judge a book written 200+ years ago for that.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story definitely seemed like the journal entries it says it is. It is shortened from a 500+ page novel to 150-ish pages, so simple descriptions of action should be expected. It was a great introduction to the plot, but never quite as satisfying as a fully drawn out story. However, I am still happy to have read many of the Classic Starts with my children, and I hope to read originals in the future. I hope my children will, too.

[Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good adventure filled book

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably the most unintentionally funny Children's Classics we've read. I think they may have taken a bit too much out of the story.

This family never seemed to actually work for anything. Every time they turn a corner there is a new, plentiful, food source just waiting for them. They easily acquire all four food groups, they never really work to hunt or grow, or learn anything. They turn a corner and find a field of pineapples all ready to be eaten, sugarcane, animals, beasts of burden, wood, rubber, fruit trees to plant, cannons with ammo and powder, guns, tools, boats, freshwater, rabbits, ostriches, a kangaroo, elephants, cotton, pearls, books, and anything else the family needs, ending by finding a mate for their son and a new family to grow a community.

You mean to tell me that a family from Switzerland knows and understands everything about a tropical island from experience? Those climates, those plants, those animals aren't even a little bit different?

What should have been a family's fight for survival became funny. Every chapter some new thing is discovered and already understood to make their lives easier. There wasn't any actual hardships on this deserted island.

I wasn't even sure why the rest of the crew left, or where they ended up, the family traveled to their boat for several days, and they were the ones who finally sank it, where did the rest of the crew even head off to?

I started making jokes and laughing at the absurdity of this family just finding everything they needed, and then just knowing how to do everything that was asked of them. Even someone industrious and experienced is going to struggle a little bit being dropped into a brand new climate in a brand new world. Not this family.

This classic seemed to be abridged just a little too much. The last line, which tried to drag a moral out, was the best part. About how important family is. That was sweet, if a little nonsensical after 13 years of a family lounging on a tropical beach.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just looked up this book to add into Goodreads and then got really sad and went on this big rabbit trail to find out why there were so many versions of this book to choose from! Found out I listened to this book on audiobook and it was a shortened children's version. I guess the original book was written in German and has been translated and there's many translations out there some which some reviewers said is in antiquated English or choppy but I'm bummed to find out only now that I didn't listen to a full unabridged version of the book. Still I guess an enjoyable book- which I listened to as an audiobook on my long walks on quarantine. After I got over the fact that the narrator of the audio was a female (the book is written as journal entries from the father's point of view so a female reader threw me off a little) and that the narrator has a slight lisp -- once I got over that it was fun to hear about the different fauna and resourcefulness of the family. I def had to pause after a couple chapters too though to look up where the heck on earth was the setting of this story supposed to take place because there was way too many animals in one spot it seemed a little insane and I was right that the author took lots of liberties adding in all kinds of animals that would never in real life all be in the same place. and the part about making rubber boots was rather amusing but this book was written for kids and it has a fun appeal.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fierce storm at sea, a shipwreck, the only survivors are all members of one family who end up as castaways on a deserted island. That is the premise for the adventure to be experienced by The Swiss Family Robinson by Chris Tait. This was a young reader version that was available though my library's Bonus Reads selection that doesn't count against my monthly quota, that I'd already used up. It was a quick and easy read and presented various challenges for the family to overcome like finding and building shelter, locating long-term food sources, and getting along with each other, although the last one wasn't too much of a challenge as they generally got along fine and helped each other. The author made it an interesting read with some dangers and a few surprises for life on a lonely island. Great read that may be especially interesting for youth.

[Cat Denmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the family is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, they set to work building a new home and, eventually, a new life. They find joy in their discoveries and in the work of survival. Resourceful and forward-thinking, they plan ahead for each season and make the most of what the island provides.

This story will especially delight boys—with its clever use of tools and supplies for building, weapons for hunting and defense, and the many surprising animals they encounter along the way. I loved how the family named each location they settled in—it made the island feel like their own and solidified memories of their work and progress.

Ultimately, it’s a story of adventure and survival, bravery and gratitude, and the steady building of character through hard work and perseverance. For me, the abridged version was just right, though my boys (ages 7 and 9) might one day enjoy the full version. The questions at the end also sparked great discussion.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

William: 5 stars but behind Children of Noisy Village. But right behind.
I liked that they did outside stuff and played sports, went fishing, they made a lot of stuff, and at the beginning they really thought they weren't going to survive there, but they did. And I don't think they thought they were going to have much fun there, at the beginning.

Noah: 5 stars
I like The Swiss Family Robinson because at the end I like that Fritz, he's going to go back to go to school and learn a lot again and then come back and stay there foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Lorri · Rating 4 out of 5]

We spent all summer reading the real version and it got very tedious for the reader but was magical for the kids. I enjoyed the brevity of this much more and it hit all the relevant points. However, having the audiobook over in just over 2 hours didn’t give the kids (particularly the younger ones) enough time to really get into it. It skips a lot of (long, drawn out) descriptions so they weren’t as enthused by all the different foods as much this go around either. This was a good refresher but next time I’d read it aloud.

[Markie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird Christian colonist dreamscape of magical land of wonderful creatures (penguins, flamingos, monkeys, eagles, buffalo) and foodstuffs (coconuts, sugarcane, oysters, crabs) with no pesky humans to interrupt the colonizers’ agenda. And this version was abridged! Also the ending was so abrupt as to be completely surprising to our family. “The winter weather was dismal. The end.” What?

I don’t think there’s much here for modern audiences who maybe (hopefully) are less interested in bending nature to their will.

[Marisa Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like these classic start books for early readers to expose them to the themes of classic book at a reading level they can read by themselves. However, we listened to this one and the audio voice who read the book was not great. The abridged version also cut out so much other that the story felt a bit unbelievable . At one point I wanted to be ship wrecked and stranded on this island because the food sounded so good.
A good book for a early self reader but not a great audio version

[Casey Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am typically not a fan of abridged classics, but the full-length novel we originally picked up to read as a family was just too verbose with old English for us right now, with beautiful language lost on my young children. We settled for this shortened classic, which they highly enjoyed. I plan to finish reading the unabridged edition for myself soon, and hope this early exposure will encourage the kids to do so as well in the future.

[Colleen Roussel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A single-family, shipwrecked on a deserted island is what this classic novel brings to the reader. The family is trying to survive the unknown circumstances of their new home that awaits them. They seem to meet adventure at every turn in this story. I had been unaware of this novel until I was reading a different book that “The Swiss Family Robinson” was mentioned in, and I just had to find out what this story was about. I was surprised and disappointed that the family had everything that they needed to survive on the island, not really giving this story any climax. However, the characters did all learn and grow together as a family on their wonderful journeys. I am sure this would be a great way to introduce young children to classic novels without advanced vocabulary, helping them to gain an understanding of certain concepts in literature.

[Amy Minner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all of the adventures and survival skill details. I would probably like the original book more, but I chose to read this one to my kids just in hopes that my kids would be more entertained without the old-fashioned writing style. It worked- they loved it! We watched the movie afterward- saw that we completely missed out on pirates. I want to read the original now to see what the deal is with the pirate scenes from the movie - I want to know how much was in the original book.

[Luc Dantes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea, like the plot, of course it is a classic. One of my favourites as a child. That being said, after reading it today, I reckon it is just not my cup of tea. Maybe it is the rewrite that added it, I’m not sure but the narrator seems to care a little too much about masculinity. I think Indiana Jones is a very manly man and he doesn’t have to keep telling us. Yet daddy Robinson needs to make references to it… Each to their own ey?

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son earned this as a prize from Barnes and Noble for a summer reading challenge. I'm so glad we stumbled onto this Classic Starts series. It's a great way to read shortened versions of the original stories so that we can get a really good idea of these classic stories. We use these as our nightly "read-aloud" books. It's a great way to end the day and spend time with my son.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not as good as I remembered it to be from my childhood. Too much killing of the animals (in excess of what they needed for survival). And too far fetched, kangaroos and monkeys and bears and giant serpents all living on an island in the middle of the ocean, it seems all the continents must have one time been connected to this little island haha. Still worth the re-read.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt nothing from reading this book and the way it was written, and I finished it quickly.

I am also very angry–they SHOT a shark? Ugh! I can't contain my displeasure. (Go to community section and check out creative writing. Then search for misunderstood ocean or for me for more info and check out Elasmobranchs).
UGH! And they took the fin as a PRIZE!?!

[Gwendolyn Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t love abridged books but in the case of long classics like this one, it’s a good option! It almost felt a little too short though, I wish they had a middle-grade abridged version. But oh well, the story came across and the kids loved it - and I love that they now know the gist of this classic!!

[Lauren R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very condensed version of the real novel but kept my 2nd header captivated anyway. For all fans of Disney’s film version, there is a spoiler alert: no pirates, though you’ll be in anticipation of them up until the last chapter!

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Might have liked a full version of this better, because both my daughter and I found missing details and plot holes to be confusing. And regardless of the version, the fact that this wasn't a real place made us go a little crazy - I get creative license, but I'm not sure it needed it.

[Euni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. I wanted to read the easy version of the classic, mostly because thick, tiny print books were a bit imtimidating.
This one is ok, with very little details. Looking forward to reading the full version!!