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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Marco Polo?
Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-one when he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo traveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of the great Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. But did Marco Polo experience the things he wrote about . . . or was it all made-up? Young readers are presented with the facts in this entertaining, highly readable Who Was . . . ? biography with black-and-white artwork by John O?Brien.
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
About the author
Joan Holub
379 books1,241 followersNY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 12, 2017
Who Was Marco Polo? by Joan Holub is a book I wish I had when I was growing up. They didn't have cool history books like this when I was a kid. Now I get to enjoy them as an adult! I do too. These books are awesome even for adults, don't let the kids tell you they are only for kids, lol. I love this one for the great personal tidbits that were certainly left out of the history books. The book makes the reader feel like you know what Marco went through in his travels and we get a feel for what it was like being on his trips. Fun, exciting, and scary all at the same time. A great way to make this man come alive again in our minds. Great job.
October 17, 2025
A well done juvenile biography of Marco Polo that is able to effectively establish context for and raise questions about his accomplishments in a very short number of pages.
I learned something, and I was never bored.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Who Was Marco Polo? -- Chapter 1. A Family of Merchants -- Chapter 2. Marco Leaves Home -- Chapter 3. The Long Trip to China -- Chapter 4. The Great Kublai Khan -- Chapter 5. Marco Works for the Khan -- Chapter 6. Fierce Mongol Warrios -- Chapter 7. Trapped -- Chapter 8. Delivering the Princess Bride -- Chapter 9. Home Again -- Chapter 10. The Famous Book -- Chapter 11. Were Marco's Stories True? -- Timeline of Marco Polo's Life -- Timeline of the World -- Bibliography
I learned something, and I was never bored.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Who Was Marco Polo? -- Chapter 1. A Family of Merchants -- Chapter 2. Marco Leaves Home -- Chapter 3. The Long Trip to China -- Chapter 4. The Great Kublai Khan -- Chapter 5. Marco Works for the Khan -- Chapter 6. Fierce Mongol Warrios -- Chapter 7. Trapped -- Chapter 8. Delivering the Princess Bride -- Chapter 9. Home Again -- Chapter 10. The Famous Book -- Chapter 11. Were Marco's Stories True? -- Timeline of Marco Polo's Life -- Timeline of the World -- Bibliography
July 23, 2026
Who Was Marco Polo? – son of a Venetian merchant who travelled to China and came back twenty-four years later, and the author of a travel book that inspired Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.
Marco Polo was born in 1254. He didn’t spend much time in school. Instead, he was taught different measurements used in different places in order to become a merchant.
His father and uncle returned from China in 1269 and two years later were heading back to China. Marco went with them.
On the way to China, Marco was a good observer of places and its products, and whether food or water were easy to find – he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.
It took them three and a half years to arrive at Shang-tu and the palace of Kublai Khan who was happy to see Polos again. Kublai was the grandson of Genghis Khan.
Marco was very impressed by the palace made of white marble and decorated with gold.
Kublai didn’t force a specific religion on conquered lands. He actually practiced an opposite tactic to keep people happy and not revolt. He told them that their religion was his favorite. He studied the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, and respected teachings of Confucius. He hired Muslims to work at his government. When farmers had a bad harvest, they didn’t have to pay taxes and were fed for free with grains kept in storage.
Kublai liked Marco as he was smart and amusing. He sent him on missions to different areas of the Mongol empire. It seemed as Marco had a talent for describing places and what was happening there. Along the lines, Kublai probably got the information he was looking for and felt entertained. Marco was surprised by the variety of animals and not knowing what they were, he described them what came out as entertaining descriptions.
Marco saw coal for the first time, which was used for fire pits. He was impressed by the Mongols mailing system powered by horses. He saw paper money for the first time. Europe developed money in the 1600s.
Marco described many Mongol battles in his book.
The Polos wanted to return home many times, but Kublai refused as he liked having them around. But in 1291, they got lucky when a seventeen-year-old Mongol princess was being sent to Persia to get married. They thought the route by sea would be the safest and Marco had just returned from a voyage from India. So he knew the route. They were sent with two golden tablets with a message – an order to anyone they met to protect them along the way. Again, it took them three and a half years to travel from China to Venice.
In Venice, Marco settled as a merchant but soon a war broke out between Venice and Genoa. The latter won and Marco was one of about 7,000 Venetians that were captured. He was in jail for about ten months and to pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with stories from his travels. Rustichello, an author, was in the same cell and convinced Marco to write down his stories.
In 1299, Venice and Genoa signed a treaty and they were freed. Marco returned to Venice with his stories written down.
At the time, books were written by hand. Currently, there are about 150 handwritten copies of his book but no two books are exactly alike, raising legitimacy issue.
In 1477, his book was machine-printed for the first time, and his book is still in print. Also, when his book was translated into different languages, the printer changed the story a bit if he thought it would sell better.
During his time, most of the people didn’t travel far from their home. So Marco’s stories sounded very bizarre. People didn’t believe him and said that his book was nothing but a million lies. Thus, they nicknamed him Marco Millions.
Whatever the case, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama studied his book for their explorations.
As Marco was dying in 1324, people begged him to confess the truth. Instead he said, “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.”
This biography exemplifies a man who stood by his words even on his death-bed while others thought his stories were filled with lies. He was a man who stayed true to himself, never wavered under ridicule. He was a good observer and storyteller. Just one book made him the most famous traveler of the silk road (by land) and the spice route (by sea).
Marco Polo was born in 1254. He didn’t spend much time in school. Instead, he was taught different measurements used in different places in order to become a merchant.
His father and uncle returned from China in 1269 and two years later were heading back to China. Marco went with them.
On the way to China, Marco was a good observer of places and its products, and whether food or water were easy to find – he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.
It took them three and a half years to arrive at Shang-tu and the palace of Kublai Khan who was happy to see Polos again. Kublai was the grandson of Genghis Khan.
Marco was very impressed by the palace made of white marble and decorated with gold.
Kublai didn’t force a specific religion on conquered lands. He actually practiced an opposite tactic to keep people happy and not revolt. He told them that their religion was his favorite. He studied the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, and respected teachings of Confucius. He hired Muslims to work at his government. When farmers had a bad harvest, they didn’t have to pay taxes and were fed for free with grains kept in storage.
Kublai liked Marco as he was smart and amusing. He sent him on missions to different areas of the Mongol empire. It seemed as Marco had a talent for describing places and what was happening there. Along the lines, Kublai probably got the information he was looking for and felt entertained. Marco was surprised by the variety of animals and not knowing what they were, he described them what came out as entertaining descriptions.
Marco saw coal for the first time, which was used for fire pits. He was impressed by the Mongols mailing system powered by horses. He saw paper money for the first time. Europe developed money in the 1600s.
Marco described many Mongol battles in his book.
The Polos wanted to return home many times, but Kublai refused as he liked having them around. But in 1291, they got lucky when a seventeen-year-old Mongol princess was being sent to Persia to get married. They thought the route by sea would be the safest and Marco had just returned from a voyage from India. So he knew the route. They were sent with two golden tablets with a message – an order to anyone they met to protect them along the way. Again, it took them three and a half years to travel from China to Venice.
In Venice, Marco settled as a merchant but soon a war broke out between Venice and Genoa. The latter won and Marco was one of about 7,000 Venetians that were captured. He was in jail for about ten months and to pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with stories from his travels. Rustichello, an author, was in the same cell and convinced Marco to write down his stories.
In 1299, Venice and Genoa signed a treaty and they were freed. Marco returned to Venice with his stories written down.
At the time, books were written by hand. Currently, there are about 150 handwritten copies of his book but no two books are exactly alike, raising legitimacy issue.
In 1477, his book was machine-printed for the first time, and his book is still in print. Also, when his book was translated into different languages, the printer changed the story a bit if he thought it would sell better.
During his time, most of the people didn’t travel far from their home. So Marco’s stories sounded very bizarre. People didn’t believe him and said that his book was nothing but a million lies. Thus, they nicknamed him Marco Millions.
Whatever the case, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama studied his book for their explorations.
As Marco was dying in 1324, people begged him to confess the truth. Instead he said, “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.”
This biography exemplifies a man who stood by his words even on his death-bed while others thought his stories were filled with lies. He was a man who stayed true to himself, never wavered under ridicule. He was a good observer and storyteller. Just one book made him the most famous traveler of the silk road (by land) and the spice route (by sea).
April 21, 2018
Marco Polo had a very interesting life, because he traveled to China at a time when very few Europeans were doing this. But upon returning to Europe, he decided to write a book with the help of a professional writer and they exaggerated too much about the facts experienced in China. If Marco Polo had written a book seriously, today we would have a more faithful account of the mongolian customs that dominated China and other parts of Asia at about 1200/1300. But it was an interesting and easy-to-read book for me, that I'm learning English.
September 8, 2021
It was a good book and it is quite funny my father read it to me as a bedtime story and I got bored of it from time to time ⏲️ overall it is quite awesome would recommend
August 3, 2010
My first "who was" (or "big head" as we call them at school) biography. I really enjoyed this. It was clearly written with a nice sense of narrative so that it really felt like a novel. The text is paced well with lots of line drawings and maps. There are also several call outs in the book that provide additional background information about the times and customs of the biographical character. I learned a lot here! Excellent choice for grades 3 and up.
November 12, 2021
I thought it told a great sequence of Marco Polos life. I liked but it isn’t exactly what I was looking for. It was very nice to read and you learned a lot about 1 persons life.
January 25, 2021
Who Was Marco Polo? by Joan Holub is one of the award winning "Who Was..." series. Marco Polo was only seventeen when he set out for China with his father with plans to make a fortune trading goods along the way and bringing back silk and other treasures from China. It would be twenty-four years before he would return home to Venice. This was over seven hundred years ago when world travel was virtually unknown but Marco Polo traveled to the fabled Chinese kingdom of Kublai Khan.
During his travels he saw new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. Marco became favored by the Khan and experience many of the intricacies of court life as he also shared what life in Venice was like. When he eventually returned he wrote a book about his experiences but the details seemed too fantastic too believe. There is some question about whether Marco Polo really experienced the things he wrote about or was it exaggerated or even just made-up. This series is targeted for young readers but is also interesting for older readers as well with black-and-white artwork by John O'Brien.
During his travels he saw new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. Marco became favored by the Khan and experience many of the intricacies of court life as he also shared what life in Venice was like. When he eventually returned he wrote a book about his experiences but the details seemed too fantastic too believe. There is some question about whether Marco Polo really experienced the things he wrote about or was it exaggerated or even just made-up. This series is targeted for young readers but is also interesting for older readers as well with black-and-white artwork by John O'Brien.
February 23, 2020
Nice read
May 18, 2020
اولین کتابی که تصمیم گرفتم خیلی جدی به زبان انگلیسی بخونم 😅
خیلی روان و راحت بود و جدا از انگلیسی بودنش خیلی از متن هم لذت بردم
خیلی روان و راحت بود و جدا از انگلیسی بودنش خیلی از متن هم لذت بردم
May 16, 2018
good non-fiction resource for elementary level
January 16, 2019
105 pages. Great biography! I enjoyed learning all about Marco Polo. The book was well-written and contained additional information on topics such as If you lived in Europe at the time of Marco Polo, to China by land and sea, the silk secret, Genghis Kahn, If you were Mongolian at the time of Marco Polo, sera battles and Gutenberg’s new printing press. There are lots of sketches and maps throughout that are helpful. This book would serve as a great research book or just recreational reading. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.
February 13, 2018
Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-one when he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo traveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of the great Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. His life was very interesting!!
February 26, 2012
Legomeister used this book to write his fourth grade biography speech. I really liked it. It had lots of good information, was very understandable and readable, and made the subject interesting. I learned quite a bit. I plan on reading more of this series.
May 1, 2016
Helped me on my 3rd grade project
June 28, 2017
A good introduction to the subject, but, then again, this series always is. Fun illustrations too, I liked the style. Makes me want to read Polo's actual book!
October 25, 2017
Not as interesting as some of the others in the series, just ok.
December 13, 2017
My favorite “Who Was” book so far!
June 1, 2019
Kids thought it was fun to read about Marco Polo since we use the app Marco Polo to communicate with cousins. Gave them a better idea of how the app got its name.
October 9, 2019
5 stars if you are looking for elementary level resource books
September 30, 2021
I love this series. I think they do an awesome job in a short amount of time. I always feel like I learn a lot, especially with people like Marco Polo that I didn't know that much about.
I think the thing that surprised me the most was that most people didn't believe Marco Polo. In fact, for a time, someone who exaggerated and told tales was said to be a "marco polo."
Another thing I learned was that Marco was actually following in the path of his father. For some reason I just thought he was some adventurer who set off on his own to traverse to China. (Obviously the extent of my Marco Polo knowledge only extended to "China" and the game we played in the pool.)
Great book!
I think the thing that surprised me the most was that most people didn't believe Marco Polo. In fact, for a time, someone who exaggerated and told tales was said to be a "marco polo."
Another thing I learned was that Marco was actually following in the path of his father. For some reason I just thought he was some adventurer who set off on his own to traverse to China. (Obviously the extent of my Marco Polo knowledge only extended to "China" and the game we played in the pool.)
Great book!
May 19, 2017
For a non fiction book I thought it was alright. I have always played that Marco Polo game but I never really knew who they guy was. Although I would still like a little more information about the game. Even though this is one of the better nonfiction books I read I still like fiction soooooo much more. I thought I was fairly lucky to find one that was exactly one hundred pages. But over all the book wasn't that bad. I'll definitely need top lay more Marco Polo though.
February 4, 2022
Polo es un hombre que le gustaba viajar con su familia vivian en italia y no viajan tan lejos pero una ves se fueron a china conocieron al rey de reyes. Tuvieron muchas aventura lalalalalalala fue a prision y escribio un libro
The character not change
Yes now i valorate more writin
Who you would recommend it to and why? To diego because he like the who was books
The character not change
Yes now i valorate more writin
Who you would recommend it to and why? To diego because he like the who was books
December 4, 2018
This one might as well been called who was Kublai Khan’s lapdog. It was more about the leader than Marco Polo. And reading the audiobook, it didn’t read the extra fact boxes throughout the chapters like the other versions of Who Was... Series Audiobooks have done.
November 12, 2018
great book to read!!!!!
January 1, 2019
I think it didnt explain a lot about what he did in Mongolia. It mostly talked about his travel.
February 15, 2019
Its about a man and all of his adventures, its very interesting. :0
April 1, 2019
These books continue to capture my daughter's attention. At first, she doesn't think she wants to read them, but once started, she asks to keep going.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews