The fabled Silk Road conjures up the sights, smells and sounds of faraway lands: great and diverse cultures separated by deserts sands or windswept mountain passes. But traveling the Silk Road took years, often through bleak and rugged country with few inhabitants. Those who set out fought off bandits, battled starvation and survived treacherous storms.

Adventures introduces readers to three great historical figures:

Chinese Buddhist Xuanzang’s (travels 629 – 645AD), 16-year epic journey from China to India and back is the only source of information we have for huge chunks of the history and geography of this time. His successful search for Buddhist scriptures changed the course of two great nations and he remains an enduring hero of folklore.

Mongolian Genghis Khan (war travels 1201 – 1227), bred from infancy to be a warrior, brought the Mongol clans together into a fighting nation to rule the Silk Road and establish the greatest empire the world had seen.

Italian merchant Marco Polo (travels 1271 – 1295) journeyed through China for 24 years. His journeys changed the way Europe saw the world beyond its borders. His book even inspired Columbus to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of China.

Stunning photographs and art depicting the ancient routes and peoples bring the stories to life. Maps, sidebars and an afterword that highlights the story of the Silk Road are also featured. In the end we too come to know the lands the three travelers explored, and how they were greeted—or cheated—by the folks along the way. 

by Priscilla Galloway and illustrated by Normand Cousineau

Priscilla Galloway's profile page

Dawn Hunter is an editor and the author of several books for young people, including Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road, winner of the Norma Fleck Award for non-fiction. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Dawn Hunter's profile page

“Readers ... will find much to appreciate in the lively storytelling, the wealth of detail and the boxes that add background information.”—Kirkus, 11/09

“… an easily comprehensible, yet entertaining and intriguing narrative … enlivened by a handsome design …” —Canadian Children’s Book News, 05/10

“Readers will find this an unusually readable and informative account of the subject.”—Booklist, 01/10

“Galloway and Hunter manage to capture the exotic places and customs associated with the famous trade route … beautifully designed with a lot of colour and numerous illustrations, including appropriate photographs. Highly recommended.”—CM Reviews, 11/09

“This fact-filled book shares gripping tales of three adventurers who changed the way we view the world. Highly recommended.”—Resource Links, 12/09

“... an excellent historical supplement to contemporary hotspot discussions.”—Foreword Magazine, 11/09

“... gripping historical narratives, sensitively and excitingly fictionalized here, in language that is lively and descriptive, clear but not oversimplified. Vibrant reproductions of art and photos of artifacts leap off every colorful page.”—School Library Journal, *starred review, 12/09

“This great introduction to the mysterious East, or insight into any of the three travelers presented, can be placed in the hands of students interested in history as well as those mesmerized by the lives of others.”—VOYA, 04/10