Robinson Crusoe

by Jane Carruth (Adapter), Daniel Defoe (Creator), John Worsley (Illustrator)

This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature.

Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand...

Consistently popular since its first publication in 1719, Daniel Defoe's story of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal.

Genres: Classics, Childrens

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Paul Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent abridged version for young people as retold by Jane Carruth. I had already read (twice) the unabridged version some years ago, written by Daniel Defoe and had greatly enjoyed it. Why then read an abridged version? I was attracted to this abridged version by the water colour illustrations by John Worsley, an extremely talented artist. They are some of the best illustrations I have ever seen in a book for young people! The abridged story too was skilfully retold, covering nearly all of the main incidents in the (much longer) Defoe book.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

We were given this in a box of children’s books for our baby son, it is an adaptation of the story for kids. I hadn’t read Robinson Crusoe so I didn’t know if this would actually be appropriate for children, figured I’d check before putting it on my kid’s bookshelf. It’s definitely not! It refers to people with brown/black skin as savages and depicts them as cannibals. Robinson Crusoe makes all the characters in the story who have brown/black skin refer to him as “Master”.

This was deemed appropriate for children to enjoy in 1975. That’s 13 years before I was born! 3 years before my oldest sister was born. Like, it was not that long ago in the grand scheme of things that adults were approving this demeaning material to put in the hands of children. This definitely could have been on my bookshelf and influencing my perspectives (similarly racist books were around for sure) when I was little. I don’t understand how, in 1975, publishers couldn’t figure out that Robinson Crusoe is not a story that should be held up as literature children should be familiar with. Yuck ::shudder::

[Eneida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure which version I read. It was a children's version, and I read it when I was a child. I still remember how much I loved it! Later, in college, I read an abridged version, also for children, but in English.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

An example of Colonialist literature: we are oh-so-tolerant to the good-hearted natives, teach them to fear god, and respect our culture and king. It is also an example of a man who persevered in spite of hardships and toil during a long time.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read the original, but this was a great children's adaptation....too bad it's out of print! My kids loved it.

[Jason Shuttlesworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best adventure stories ever written. R.Crusoe reminds me of myself in so many ways it's scary.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and thought it had lot's of adventure and suspense. Also really enjoyed it because of his references and dependence on god.