Explore with Marco Polo

Book excerpt: Pack your bags-we're going on an incredible trip! TRAVEL WITH THE GREAT EXPLORERS takes you on some of the most remarkable journeys of exploration. Discover where the explorers went, why they went there, how they got there, and what went right and wrong along the way. Marco Polo's father and uncle had left on a trade trip to China just before he was born, When they returned years later, Marco was already in his teens. When the Polos set out to visit the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan again, Marco went with them. In China, he became the Khan's ambassador. On his eventual return to Europe, Marco Polo wrote a record of what he had seen, including beautiful cities, unicorns, and bandits who used magic to cause sandstorms. His account became one of the most famous travel books in history. Book jacket.