Animals Marco Polo Saw (Explorer Series)
Grade 3–6—This intriguing book discusses generally agreed-upon details of Marco Polo's explorations in Mongolia and the Far East, and speculates about the moths, jackals, van cats, zebu, oxen, Persian lions, snow cats, and camels he may have met along the way. Though this quick read is generally informative, there are a couple of mistakes: the Persian lion is not extinct, as stated, and the Latin name provided for the Marco Polo sheep is incomplete. The text is enhanced by color, mixed-media illustrations that occupy one page or the top half of each spread, and depict street and wilderness scenes. Sidebars discussing particular animals include a small, color drawing of the creature, and back matter includes a full-page, old-style map of the explorer's travels. A useful introduction to 13th-century history.—Michele Sealander, Hamburg School, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.