Swiss family Robinson is a hilarious book!!! It was written by a guy who hD never left the country, writing about exotic Lands and animals he had read about in books. He wrote during the cold winters to amuse his family.
My little son made me read about the invading snake a 100 times and we laughed to tears. They have no snakes in Switzerland. So he had written that the vicious snake comes to attack them standing erect, bouncing up the path to the house.
I believe they also rode ostriches. And as Swiss cannot imagine life without potatoes, he wrote about the delight of the family Robinson finding wild potatoes growing on the island.
It really is a very funny book.
I first read SwFR in a Classics Illustrated comic book. As a kid I thought it would be fun to live in a treehouse with all the comforts of home.
But later when the two grown sons decide to take to the open sea and discover the world beyond their island, their parents just wish them well & go back to the treehouse. Strange.