With stunning, impressionistic illustrations, Dieter Wiesmller takes young readers on a delightful journey of discovery. Marco Monkey grew up in a land of steamy tropical rainforests. Polo Penguin had never left the frosty cold ice pack of Antarctica. But the two adventurers share a curiosity about the world around them that leads them on a globe-spanning expedition that explores both the wonders of the Earth around them and the very nature of friendship itself.
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When Mark and his mother lose touch with his father's Gobi Desert expedition, they travel to Venice, Italy, and there, while waiting for news of his father, Mark learns about Marco Polo and his adventures in the Far East.
We all ?know? that Marco Polo went to China, served Ghengis Khan for many years, and returned to Italy with the recipes for pasta and ice cream. But Frances Wood, head of the Chinese Department at the British Library, argues that Marco Polo not only never went to China, he probably never even made it past the Black Sea, where his family conducted business as merchants.Marco Polo's travels from Venice to the exotic and distant East, and his epic book describing his extraordinary adventures, A Description of the World, ranks among the most famous and influential books ever published. In this fascinating piece of historical detection, marking the 700th anniversary of Polo's journey, Frances Wood questions whether Marco Polo ever reached the country he so vividly described. Why, in his romantic and seemingly detailed account, is there no mention of such fundamentals of Chinese life as tea, foot-binding, or even the Great Wall? Did he really bring back pasta and ice cream to Italy? And why, given China's extensive and even obsessive record-keeping, is there no mention of Marco Polo anywhere in the archives?Sure to spark controversy, Did Marco Polo Go to China? tries to solve these and other inconsistencies by carefully examining the Polo family history, Marco Polo's activities as a merchant, the preparation of his book, and the imperial Chinese records. The result is a lucid and readable look at medieval European and Chinese history, and the characters and events that shaped this extraordinary and enduring myth.
Designed to attract young readers to the fun of cooking and eating more fruits and vegetables, this adventure story and cookbook follows Ottavio Fornero, a pint-sized member of Marco Polo’s expedition, as he discovers wondrous foods through the rich cultural traditions of people along the Silk Road. Ottavio journeys from Venice to the Middle East, sharing 36 easy-to-follow recipes inspired by the trip along the way. By making food an adventure, the book provides parents with an exciting way to read, learn, and cook with their children and share their family’s long-held food traditions while creating new ones. Also included is a medieval world map showing Polo’s actual expedition routes; glossaries of cooking terms, techniques, and utensils; an extensive illustrated history of the ingredients; modern adaptations; and historical trivia.
Did Marco Polo reach China? This richly illustrated companion volume to the public television film chronicles the remarkable two-year expedition of explorers Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell as they sought the answer to this controversial 700-year-old question. With Polo's book, The Travels of Marco Polo, as their guide, they journeyed over 25,000 miles becoming the first to retrace his entire path by land and sea without resorting to helicopters or airplanes. Surviving deadly skirmishes and capture in Afghanistan, they were the first Westerners in a generation to cross its ancient forgotten passageway to China, the Wakhan Corridor. Their camel caravan on the southern Silk Road encountered the deadly singing sands of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. In Sumatra, where Polo was stranded waiting for trade winds, they lived with the Mentawai tribes, whose culture has remained unchanged since the Bronze Age. They became among the first Americans granted visas to enter Iran, where Polo fulfilled an important mission for Kublai Khan. Accompanied by 200 stunning full-color photographs, the text provides a fascinating account of the lands and peoples the two hardy adventurers encountered during their perilous journey. The authors' experiences are remarkably similar to descriptions from Polo's account of his own travels and life. Laden with adventure, humor, diplomacy, history, and art, this book is compelling proof that travel is the enemy of bigotry—a truth that resonates from Marco Polo's time to our own.