When a Swiss couple and their four sons are shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, they adapt to their "New Switzerland" using many resourceful and imaginative methods--building a tree house, finding food such as coconuts, sugarcane, honey, and potatoes, taming animals and other forms of securing themselves against danger.

"Many of these fables are so well known they have given us everyday phrases such as "sour grapes" and "dog in the manger." but even the rarer ones seem familiar, because their simple morals reflect all aspects of human nature. From the tortoise and the hare to the mouse and the lion, the timeless wisdom and wit of Aesop's fables are as entertaining as ever"--Cover verso.

"When Heidi is sent to live in the Swiss Alps with her grumpy grandpa, the village takes pity on her. But Heidi's sweet and inquisitive nature quickly softens Grandpa's scowl and his heart. Heidi loves her new life in the mountains shepherding goats, gathering flowers, and playing with her best friend, Peter ... until she is forced to move away to the soot and smoke of Frankfurt to be the companion of a young girl. Will Heidi ever return to Grandpa...

Convinced there is something making noise in the attic at night, a brave little girl sneaks up the stairs, lasso in hand, to capture whatever it is.