He Went With Marco Polo

He Went With

by Louise Andrews Kent, Paul Quinn (Illustrator)

Cathay is a long way from his home in Venice, but when 14-year-old gondolier, Tonio Tumba receives the chance of a lifetime, he doesn’t say no. Leaving behind his only possession, a shabby green gondola, Tonio eagerly joins Marco Polo on his adventure. As Tonio and the Polo family travel the dangerous silk road to modern-day China, they encounter many fascinating people and dangerous perils. When Tonio rides into Cathay on one of the Khan’s elephants, he says to his friend, “Elephants are grand… but give me a horse any time – unless I could have a gondola. When we get back to Venice, I’ll take you out in mine.” There are many wonderful sights, amazing inventions and great riches to discover, though Tonio looks forward to getting back home - but many years will pass before his chance to see the canals of Venice again. When so much has changed, will Tonio find anything worth returning for? Louise Andrews Kent is a master storyteller, weaving historical accuracy and immersive adventure into one epic voyage of discovery. This new edition features all the original illustrations and clean, readable text. It is a fantastic living book teaching about history and geography, recommended for ages 10 and up.

Genres: Adventure, Historical Fiction

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Louise Andrews Kent (May 25, 1886 – August 6, 1969) was an American writer. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1886 and graduated, in 1909, from Simmons College School of Library Science, where she was president of her senior class and editor of the college paper.

She became a newspaper columnist and writer of children's literature, and also of cookbooks. She wrote a newspaper column, Theresa’s Tea Table, in the Boston Traveller under the pen name of Theresa Tempest, and later authored a series of cookbooks as Mrs. Appleyard.

Reviews

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book, and many others like it (they all seemed to start with "He went with...") when I was in about Gr. 5-8. I always put myself in the shoes of the character who went along on some famous exploration or voyage or adventure, and longed to do the same some day, when the opportunity arose, as it surely would. Mostly, I longed to be a boy so that I could do all those things, and it was a constant source of irritation & sometimes rage that my brothers & my closest cousins (all male), especially my best buddy Rob (also an avid reader) seemed to be allowed to do a lot more things than I was. That was in the 1960s, and there weren't many books (at least, I never found them) with strong female characters; thankfully, there were lots when my own daughters started reading, and many more have been written since. I don't remember other girls reading these, they all seemed to stick to Nancy Drew & Little House on the Prairie.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book that brings to life the travels of Marco Polo. It is very interesting and I love reading it to my children. The others in this series are just as good as well.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read-aloud that kept young listeners enthralled. In terms of education, not so great - it's heavy on the story and while the geography and history aren't glaringly inaccurate, they are not the main focus (and lots was left out). The main character, Tonio, appears to have been invented, but certainly everything he sees and does alongside Marco could have happened. If you have covered Marco Polo's travels in history studies, this will be a wonderful treat that might help humanize the names. Plenty of humor, especially in Venice with Polo family interactions. There is not much in the way of conflict and everyone kind of knows how things are going to turn out in the end, so little suspense there.

Not crazy about the illustrations.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by a trip to Oman, where we visited at least two places where Marco Polo is said to have visited, I reread this book. One of my primary school teachers, whom I remember as an inspirational teacher, read this aloud to us and entranced us, keeping 47 students attention at the end of the school day, as I remember it. A rather quaint retelling of Marco Polo's voyages but lots of lovely details.

[Ranae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. The narrative keeps things moving while you get the story of Marco Polo.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is memorable and engaging.
I was disappointed to realize that it veered from the historical account in several key places.