twoxcell Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 My kids are fascinated by the Swiss Family Robinson right now. They have been watching cartoons, and the Disney movie of it. My ds asked me if we could get the book to read, so I was searching for it online. I did not realize it had so many versions translated, and I have never read it myself. Is the book appropriate to read aloud to a 5, and 7 year old, and if so which version do I get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 My kids are fascinated by the Swiss Family Robinson right now. They have been watching cartoons, and the Disney movie of it. My ds asked me if we could get the book to read, so I was searching for it online. I did not realize it had so many versions translated, and I have never read it myself. Is the book appropriate to read aloud to a 5, and 7 year old, and if so which version do I get? Yes. Get the original translation, the older the better, the language is much richer. The free ones available online should be good. If from your library, get the oldest one you can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I read it about a year ago to my then 4 & 7 year old boys. We ALL LOVED it. I think I may have edited a few spots possibly, spent some time expanding and used the internet and computer to look up some things none of us understood. We read the one from Everyman's Library Children's Classics- New York : A.A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, c1994. Hope you enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 We listened to the audio version on Librivox. There are some descriptions of hunting and butchering that you would want to leave out if your children (or you) are squeamish. There is also a chapter about dealing with a troop of destructive monkeys that I found disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 We have an old paperback with b&w illustrations. I don't know where it is at present, sorry. We also have the audio version because my oldest loved it so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Don't forget about the unit study curriculum Prepare and Pray that is based on Swiss Family Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I just finished reading this to my 6 yr. old. He loves the Disney movie. I picked up a version for $2 at Michaels (of all places.) I was surprised at how much they talked about killing, butchering, stabbing, chopping the heads off, killing the mother of.. it was in almost every chapter. I edited it some, as I read, but my 6 yr. old said, "Gosh Mom, they sure did KILL a lot of animals, huh?" :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EppieJ Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I read it to ds in first grade during his "Gardening and Survival" class. They used a hands on study along with the book to learn some survival skills based on the story. The language of the book was difficult for ds - lots of new vocabulary! What I did was find a simpler version of the story to read along with the unabridged version. This helped his comprehension and helped my voice by not having to stop and explain every other paragraph. That said, he really enjoyed the story and the survival skills he learned (although I'm not sure how much he remembers now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moniksca Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I read that aloud to my ds who is 9 and he liked the story but didn't enjoy how they killed all the animals even though they used them for their survival. There was a lot of killing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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