"For many days we had been tempest-tossed...the raging storm increased in fury until on the seventh day all hope was lost." From these dire opening lines, a timeless story of adventure begins. One family will emerge alive from this terrible storm: the Robinsons--a Swiss pastor, his wife, and four sons, plus two dogs and a shipload of livestock. Inspired by Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe," " this heartwarming tale portrays a family's struggle to create a new life on a strange and fantastic tropical island. There each boy must learn to utilize his own unique nature as their adventures lead to difficult challenges and amazing discoveries, including a puzzling message tied to an albatross's leg. But it is in the ingenuity and authenticity of the family itself, and the natural wonders of this exotic land that have made The Swiss Family Robinson," " first published at the beginning of the nineteenth century, one of the most enduring and imitated stories of shipwreck and survival. "From the Paperback edition."