The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History – A Lavishly Illustrated Picture Book About Ancient Commerce and Cultural Exchange for Children (Ages 6-12)

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 book is very beautifull illustrated, but the text is much richer than antecipatedbecause it makes bold statements and correlations with facts not well known.it presents very sophisticated ideas with kindness and precision.

I wanted some background for younger children into the Han Dynasty as we were reading a Chinese folktale about the little Empress who took the secret of the silkworm with her to a new marriage, thereby revealing the centuries old secret. While the book is easily understood it was not intriguing enough to hold their interest. Not being familiar with the Silk Route myself, I found it quite interesting. But I have to give it 4 stars instead of 5 because it is supposed to be for children.I teamed the folk story and the story of the silk trade and ancient road with gifts of Chinese Barbie dolls for the granddaughters. And we discussed also the influence on fashion in the West after the International exhibition of 1862 during the Victorian years, in home decorations, gardens, porcelain china, dresses, and even the Enlish Royals household dogs (Japanese Spaniels, now the Japanese Chin...which originated in China.

Such a fun and interesting book, complete with beautiful illustrations! Great product!

This provides a good introduction to the Silk Road. It does not contain a lot of information but what is there is good.

This is a very simple book for young reader who can be entertained with pictures and a brief story. It wets the appetite for looking deeper into a fascinating piece of history and a cultures that are still just being discovered.

A book, especially one aimed at children, should be informational and objective. It should be a source of education, not a means to pollute minds with the author's own limited views and ignorance. Unfortunately, this book has subtle but potent streaks of Islamophobia running through it. The authors clearly seek to paint a negative image of people who hold views different than their own. If you want your children to read something educational without a hidden agenda, this is not a book to buy! We need more love and tolerance in the world right now, not more hate and small mindedness.

The rich illustrations are very memorable. Our children (3-12) soaked up the information and referred back to it from other resources. I would love more history/geography resources like this one!