Stories from the Silk Road

Author: Cherry Gilchrist
Paperback: 80 page(s)
Age Range: 9 - 12

Book Description:

Journey along the ancient trade route between East and West. The seven intriguing tales in this collection each feature an important city along the Silk Road, and are filled with adventure and drama, as the merchants, muleteers, spies and shepherds travel this exotic route.

Booklist
In seven stories, the lively Spirit of the Silk Road takes readers through the culture, history, and folklore of the ancient trade route that stretched from China to Persia and was used from 200 B.C. to the fourteenth century. The retellings, from humorous to creepy, feature an assortment of kind and vengeful gods, spirits, animals, and human travelers. "Clever Ashik" illustrates how cultures adapt and recreate familiar stories; "The Magic Saddlebag," a morality tale, shows the rewards of generosity and kindness; "The Enchanted Garden" presents a nightmarish experience resulting from greed. The conversational tone of the tellings evokes a tourist's sight-seeing expedition, with brightly colored, intricately patterned illustrations of exotic places and characters providing visuals and context. An introduction gives general background about the Silk Road and traded goods; endpaper maps detail the route. A "Did You Know?" facts section and source notes are appended. This will be a good resource for storytellers, particularly those wanting material for international story times, and for individuals interested in Asian folklore.