The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History

This is a large-format book, about 9 X 12, and the pages are packed with information. Each page reflects a different culture with different customs, architectural styles, and ethnicities, moving from China east to Constantinople. The illustrations are well-drawn and offer a lot of information in their own right; the text is a wonderful look at cultural communication and long-distance travel. The reading level is not difficult, but the interest level is vast -- 2nd grade to adult.

This is a truly wonderful book that helps children understand an important part of the history of China. The book has a map of the road the caravan travels, describes the major stops along the way, and explains the difficulties and hardships these travellers encountered. I especially enjoyed the description of the topography the caravan crosses, as I believe it gives children a great mental picture for them to understand the great diversity of geography in China.

This book was included in a Maryland Department of Education lesson plan for teaching the Silk Road. I purchased the book for this purpose and is correlated very well to the lesson plan. Excellent artwork. Valuable content. A good geography storybook