Robinson Crusoe

Page 1

Robinson Crusoe was a young man who loved the sea. He wanted to sail all over the world. But his father wanted him to stay home in England. He said to Robinson, “You should stay here in England and become a shop owner. You’ll be safe, and you can make a lot of money.” But Robinson said, “I’m looking for adventure, and I want to learn about the world. I can’t do that if I spend my whole life in my hometown. As soon as he could, Robinson sailed to Africa and South America.

Page 2

Robinson lived for a few years in South America. He bought a small farm near the sea in the country of Brazil. He wanted his farm to be bigger, so he needed more people to work for him. Robinson sailed again to go looking for people who could work on his farm. On the sixth week of the voyage, there was a sudden storm! The captain and the crew tried hard to save the ship and everyone on board. But the ship crashed into rocks near a big island, and it quickly sank. When the ship crashed, the force threw Robinson over the side. He landed in the cold water, and he swam through the rough waves and the rain. He struggled, but he finally made it to the island. After the storm, the tide was low, and Robinson could see the shipwreck. He swam to the shipwreck, but nobody had been left alive!

Page 3

During the first few days, Robinson searched as much of the island as he could, but he did not find anyone. No one else from the ship had swum to the shore, and there were no towns or villages. He was alone! He thought about his problem. He said, “Soon, I have to search the rest of the island. But first, I need to take things from the shipwreck. I need to live here. I’m sure that another ship will sail near here in a few days, and I will be saved!” So Robinson made a small raft and he took it to the shipwreck. He made many trips, and he brought many things from the shipwreck to the island.

Page 4

Robinson used the ship’s sails to make a tent. He lived there for a few months. He became more and more unhealthy because he was only eating a few plants every day. He did not try to eat many new things because sometimes eating a new plant made him sick. Finally, Robinson thought, “I must learn new things so I can live here and be healthy. I have to learn how to grow food. I have to learn how to hunt and catch small animals.” Robinson learned these things. Also, after many failures, he was finally able to build a good house. He caught some wild goats, and he began to raise them in a field near his house. After a lot of hard work, Robinson’s life and health began to get better.

Page 5

One thing that Robinson had brought from the shipwreck was a notebook. He wanted to keep a diary, but he did not have ink. Robinson thought, “There are a lot of berries and flowers on the island. I’m sure I can make ink from their juices.” But it was not as easy to make ink as Robinson had thought it would be. It took longer than he had expected, but he finally learned how to make ink. When Robinson had made ink, he began writing in his diary every day. He wrote about the things he was learning to do. He wrote about the weather. He wrote about his feelings. Robinson’s diary was very important for him.

Page 6

Robinson tried to learn new things every day, and he wrote these things in his diary. Soon, Robinson had a lot of new skills, and he made his house comfortable. Because he wanted to learn more, he took many trips around the island. He went farther and farther. One day, he found a new place on the island. In the diary, Robinson wrote, “This place is perfect for growing a farm and raising goats. But it’s far from my house near the sea. If I want to have a farm here, I’ll have to build a new house. And if I’m far from the sea, I won’t be able to see any ships that sail near the island.” At last, Robinson decided to build the new house. He had been on the island for a few years already, and he had never seen a ship. Robinson had realized that he may spend the rest of his life on the island, so he thought that his life should be as comfortable as possible.

Page 7

Robinson spent many days walking around and exploring the island. One day, he found a big log. The log was from a tree that had fallen down. Robinson got excited! He said, “I can make a boat, and I’ll use it to escape from this island!” Robinson had only small and simple tools, but the log was very big. Robinson worked anyway. He was very careful because he did not want to make a mistake and break the big log. It took him three years, but he finally had a boat! Robinson looked proudly at his boat. He had done a very good job. The boat was strong, and Robinson could use a sail or paddles. And he could steer it easily. It was perfect! Robinson said, “Now, all I have to do is take my boat to the sea!” He went behind the boat to push it. But it was too heavy, and it would not move. He tried pulling it. He tried rocking it. He tried using ropes or simple levers. But whatever he tried, the boat would not move. Finally, Robinson had to give up. It was a perfect boat, except for it would never be any closer to the sea than it was when Robinson had built it.

Page 8

Robinson had been on the island for many years. He had a big farm, and he also had a lot of goats. He was busy every day, so he could not walk around the island much. The island was big, and there were a lot of places Robinson had not seen. But whenever he had time, he would walk around and try to explore new places. One day he was walking, and he saw a human footprint. He was very surprised and afraid. He had been alone on this island for so many years. Now, he knew that there was another person. Maybe more! This idea scared Robinson, so he ran to his house and hid!

Page 9

Robinson stayed near his house for a few months. He tried to work hard and do a lot of things, but he was always worried. He could not stop thinking about that footprint! He said to himself, “It was a footprint, but it was not mine. Who made it? Is he dangerous?” Then Robinson thought, “Maybe he is friendly. Maybe he is trapped here, like me.” Finally, Robinson decided to go out to find the man. He made a big backpack, and he filled it with food, a tent, and other supplies. He first went back to the place where he had seen the footprint. Of course, it was gone, and Robinson did not see any new footprints. He remembered which way the toes of the footprint had pointed, and he went in that direction. He wandered around for many weeks, and he eventually went all the way to the other side of the island.

Page 10

On the other side of the island, Robinson found a lot of footprints. And he found burned wood where somebody had made a fire. Seeing all of the footprints worried Robinson because he did not know if all of those people were good or bad. He went away from the shore, and he set up his small tent near some tall grass and bushes. Every day, Robinson hid in the tall grass and he watched the shore from far away. He thought, “Maybe the people will come back. If they are friendly, I can talk to them, and they will help me. But if they are not friendly, I will stay in hiding.”

Page 11

Robinson stayed in his tent for a few weeks, but no one ever came back to the shore. Robinson decided to go back to his house. He took down his tent, and he packed his backpack. Then, he began the long walk back to his house. Along the way, Robinson found a cave. He had never seen the cave before, so he went inside. In the cave, he found a man! The man was afraid and hungry, so Robinson gave some food to him. The man could not speak English, and Robinson could not learn his name. So Robinson called the man Friday.

Page 12

Robinson took Friday back to his house. They soon became friends, and they helped each other a lot. Robinson was happy to have another person there. Friday helped to take care of the farm and the goats. Robinson spent many months teaching English to Friday, and one day Robinson asked Friday about the other people. Friday said that they were very dangerous! He said, “Those people come and take my people from my island. Sometimes they come here to find food. When they came here, I ran away from them!” Robinson was lucky that those bad people had not seen him.

Page 13

One evening, Robinson saw some lights on the sea. It was a small ship, and it had stopped close to the island. Robinson thought that it was strange for a ship to stop near a deserted island. So, he was careful in case the men on the ship were dangerous. He went back to his house, and he told Friday about the ship. Later that night, Robinson went to the shore again, and he watched the ship. It was close to the island, so Robinson could see the men moving on its deck. The men were fighting! There was the sound of swords clanging, and sometimes there were gunshots! Finally, all of the fighting stopped. Soon afterwards, Robinson saw seven men get into a small boat. Then, the men began to row the boat to the island. Robinson ran back to his house. He said to Friday, “I think pirates are coming to our island!”

Page 14

Robinson and Friday went to the shore together. They watched the boat get closer and closer to the island. When the boat landed, Robinson could see the men clearly. They did not look like pirates, so Robinson called to them. He said, “Who are you?” The men were surprised to hear English! One man said, “I am the captain of that ship. Pirates took it from me. These men are my friends.” Robinson and Friday came out of hiding. Robinson asked the captain, “How many pirates are there, and how many guns do they have?” The captain said, “There are 15 pirates, but they only have three guns.” Then, Robinson said, “We must take your ship back!”

Page 15

When Robinson’s ship crashed many years ago, he was able to bring a lot of supplies to the island before the ship finally broke apart and sank. Among the supplies, he had brought 23 guns, some gunpowder, and a lot of bullets. Now he gave some of those guns and bullets to the seven men. Robinson and Friday joined the men, and they went to the boat. They quietly rowed the boat back to the ship, and they climbed on board. The pirates were surprised to see the men with the guns, and they gave up quickly. The boat belonged to the captain again! The captain locked the pirates in a room, and they all sailed to Brazil. After so many years on the island, Robinson had finally been saved! In Brazil, Robinson went back to his farm with his friend, Friday. And they lived happy lives and became rich men.

Page 16

Robinson Crusoe

Page 17

Robinson Crusoe was a young man who loved the sea. He wanted to sail all over the world. But his father wanted him to stay home in England. He said to Robinson, “You should stay here in England and become a shop owner. You’ll be safe, and you can make a lot of money.” But Robinson said, “I’m looking for adventure, and I want to learn about the world. I can’t do that if I spend my whole life in my hometown. As soon as he could, Robinson sailed to Africa and South America.

Page 18

Robinson lived for a few years in South America. He bought a small farm near the sea in the country of Brazil. He wanted his farm to be bigger, so he needed more people to work for him. Robinson sailed again to go looking for people who could work on his farm. On the sixth week of the voyage, there was a sudden storm! The captain and the crew tried hard to save the ship and everyone on board. But the ship crashed into rocks near a big island, and it quickly sank. When the ship crashed, the force threw Robinson over the side. He landed in the cold water, and he swam through the rough waves and the rain. He struggled, but he finally made it to the island. After the storm, the tide was low, and Robinson could see the shipwreck. He swam to the shipwreck, but nobody had been left alive!

Page 19

During the first few days, Robinson searched as much of the island as he could, but he did not find anyone. No one else from the ship had swum to the shore, and there were no towns or villages. He was alone! He thought about his problem. He said, “Soon, I have to search the rest of the island. But first, I need to take things from the shipwreck. I need to live here. I’m sure that another ship will sail near here in a few days, and I will be saved!” So Robinson made a small raft and he took it to the shipwreck. He made many trips, and he brought many things from the shipwreck to the island.

Page 20

Robinson used the ship’s sails to make a tent. He lived there for a few months. He became more and more unhealthy because he was only eating a few plants every day. He did not try to eat many new things because sometimes eating a new plant made him sick. Finally, Robinson thought, “I must learn new things so I can live here and be healthy. I have to learn how to grow food. I have to learn how to hunt and catch small animals.” Robinson learned these things. Also, after many failures, he was finally able to build a good house. He caught some wild goats, and he began to raise them in a field near his house. After a lot of hard work, Robinson’s life and health began to get better.

Page 21

One thing that Robinson had brought from the shipwreck was a notebook. He wanted to keep a diary, but he did not have ink. Robinson thought, “There are a lot of berries and flowers on the island. I’m sure I can make ink from their juices.” But it was not as easy to make ink as Robinson had thought it would be. It took longer than he had expected, but he finally learned how to make ink. When Robinson had made ink, he began writing in his diary every day. He wrote about the things he was learning to do. He wrote about the weather. He wrote about his feelings. Robinson’s diary was very important for him.