Shipwrecked passengers on a deserted island: how will they survive? After their ship founders at sea, the Robinsons—father, mother, and four sons—find themselves stranded in an uninhabited, idyllic land. Young readers will enjoy watching them handle every crisis with cleverness and skill.
Customer Reviews
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Rated by buyers - Gutted
Terrible. The moral lessons in this story have been omitted, leaving nothing but the plot outline. Why? This is supposed to be a story to share with your children as a teaching tool. This "retelling" is pointless.
Rated by buyers - Don't bother; get the real book even for younger children
I bought three of the Classic Start books, Swiss Family Robinson being one. After reading all three (SFR, Treasure Island, and Tom Sawyer) with my young child (age 6) I was so disappointed at the lack of "meat" in the story, the prose so altered because so much of it was simply deleted that the stories -- in all three cases -- were very flat. I bought these books to read to my child because of the excellence in writing of the originals. In the "Retold" versions in the Classic Start Series, there is no breadth of vocabulary, it being so watered down that it left me sorry I had spent the money. To shorten the stories, so many details are left out that the stories just aren't the same and much of the meatier vocabulary is gone.
If your intent is to widen your child's vocabulary by exposing them to good writing and lyrical prose, do not opt for the "retold," condensed versions of these classic stories. Get the originals and read every word. They will get the meaning from the context and will be enriched. I cannot say the same for the Classic Start Series.
I suppose they serve a purpose and that because of the price point there will be children who will hear the stories that otherwise might not. For that point alone I gave the two stars.
Rated by buyers - Not unabridged??
I agree with "Seeker's" review. This is not the same version I read as a child - I still have it. My son received this one for Christmas, and after reviewing it I returned it because it has been changed so much. Thanks to "Seeker" for the ISBN number number!
Rated by buyers - lost in the middle of nowhere. this family manages to surrvive.
When having to learn how to surrvive in the wild is hard especially when your in the middle of no where. When your ship goes down it's hard not to panic but this family finds a way to live in the wild and work as a team. Also, this book is very adventurous. - Michael Molinari - 706
Rated by buyers - Mislead
Looking for the orginal and this is not it. I heard the original on a Librivox recording and absolutely loved it. In my opinion this is a poor substitute. There should be a law against calling this the unabridged version.
- Gutted
- Don't bother; get the real book even for younger children
- lost in the middle of nowhere. this family manages to surrvive.