World Explorer

The Adventures of Marco Polo
Written by Roger Smalley
Illustrated by Brian Bascle
Published by Capstone Press
Copyright 2005
28 pages
Historical Fiction

I am pretty sure that there will never be a time in my life that the words “Marco” and “Polo” can be said without immediately thinking of the other. I’ve always wondered what it was that started the game Marco Polo. We played it so much when I was a kid, and I never knew who Marco Polo was. I was immediately drawn to this book solely because of its title. I saw the picture on the front and thought that it was finally time that I read about the life and times of Marco Polo. Wow! This was a great book. From start to finish the author kept me interested. I am guessing the story itself would keep most people intrigued, but he had a way of creating a sense of flow and importance to the text. From the farthest corners of the earth to the kings castle itself, there were many places that many people had never been before. Since Marco, was a fairly influential man, the king sent him to a certain area of his kingdom. Marco saw tigers, rhinos, and all sorts of other dangerous animals. He returned home and started telling stories of their monstrous size and devilish looks. This is a wonderful story about an Italian traveling to China.
                I enjoyed the last comic style book so much that I just had to have another one. This series from Graphic Library is a very good one.  The expressions on the faces are very apparent. This book is also a hard paper back. It is very durable. Text format in this book is of course, very informal. The text bubbles cover the pages. The text is all written in the same style and color, but the placement is random. The images are vibrant full, taking up the page top to bottom.
                This book could be used in a geography lesson. The students could discuss Beijing, China and where it is found on a map. The students could draw the country and learn other interesting facts about it. The teacher could also create a research for the students to find out more about China independently. The teacher could create a guided handout to elaborate on some of the things mentioned within the book, such as animals that live there. This book could also be used in a history lesson about Early Explorers. The teacher could relate this to those who explored America, and became part of the reason we live here today.