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We're Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road
Explore the world of stunning silk, delicious spices and exotic trade locations in this rhyming tale about a Chinese family s journey along the Silk Road, the trade route that runs thousands of miles through Asia.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Laurie Krebs
19 books11 followersLaurie Krebs combines her love of children's literature with her enthusiasm for traveling, to create her wonderful picture books that bring readers all around the world. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Bill.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 4, 2020
Good book for looking at Chinese culture/history
Could look at trading as well as the history of Silk
Could look at trading as well as the history of Silk
March 9, 2024
The actual story was OK, but not overly amazing. It teaches you about the Silk Road and what stops people make.
I like the back of the book more than the actual story. in the back of the book, there is the story of how silk was discovered, and the history of the silk Road. There is also a description of each of the places along the Chinese silk Road.
I really like the illustrations, specifically the clouds which are very swirly and the trees which are very interesting and some of them use a painting on water Technique where you paint on the water and put like the lines through with the toothpicks and then put the paper down - like that kind of a design for the tree it’s a very very interesting the way the trees are drawn.
I really like the www.barefootbooks.com Page where the publisher explains what kind of publishing company they are. “At barefoot books, we celebrate our story with books that open the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts, taking our inspiration from many different cultures. We focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and acceptance of other traditions, thoughtfully, prepared by writers, artists, and storytellers from all over the world, our products combined the best of the present, with the best of the past, to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow.
Things I learned:
Xi’an (shee - ahn) - home of terra-cotta warriors who guarded the tomb of an early emperor 221 to 210 BC
Lanzhou (lahn - joe)
Dunhuang (Dun - wang) - Mogao caves have a lot of Buddhist manuscripts, wall paintings and sculpture
Hami (Hah - mee ) famous for sweet melons
Turpan (tuhr- pan) - karez channels are an underground water system fed by streams from the flaming mountains which irrigate lush fields and vineyards. Area famous for white raisins.
Kashgar (kash- gahr) - their Sunday market is still in existence and remains a melting pot of cultures and languages, religions, and traditions.
Taklamakan Desert - means “ go in and never come out”
I like the back of the book more than the actual story. in the back of the book, there is the story of how silk was discovered, and the history of the silk Road. There is also a description of each of the places along the Chinese silk Road.
I really like the illustrations, specifically the clouds which are very swirly and the trees which are very interesting and some of them use a painting on water Technique where you paint on the water and put like the lines through with the toothpicks and then put the paper down - like that kind of a design for the tree it’s a very very interesting the way the trees are drawn.
I really like the www.barefootbooks.com Page where the publisher explains what kind of publishing company they are. “At barefoot books, we celebrate our story with books that open the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts, taking our inspiration from many different cultures. We focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and acceptance of other traditions, thoughtfully, prepared by writers, artists, and storytellers from all over the world, our products combined the best of the present, with the best of the past, to educate our children as the caretakers of tomorrow.
Things I learned:
Xi’an (shee - ahn) - home of terra-cotta warriors who guarded the tomb of an early emperor 221 to 210 BC
Lanzhou (lahn - joe)
Dunhuang (Dun - wang) - Mogao caves have a lot of Buddhist manuscripts, wall paintings and sculpture
Hami (Hah - mee ) famous for sweet melons
Turpan (tuhr- pan) - karez channels are an underground water system fed by streams from the flaming mountains which irrigate lush fields and vineyards. Area famous for white raisins.
Kashgar (kash- gahr) - their Sunday market is still in existence and remains a melting pot of cultures and languages, religions, and traditions.
Taklamakan Desert - means “ go in and never come out”
October 23, 2020
Having just read Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, I approached this book with curiosity and found it featured two geographical features I learned about in Frankopan's book. Those features are the city of Kaşhgar, with its blend of Islamic and Chinese architecture, and the Taklamakan Desert. Both filled me with wonder as I was reading Frankopan's book and researching place names new to me as I read. Where are you going to find another book in English for children that mention these two fascinating places?
Hat's off to Laurie Krebs, who essentially turned her adventure vacation along the Silk Roads route into a children's book. There are several things I will commend about this title. First off, it has an excellent map of the route described in the book. It's at the end of the story; I would have put it at the beginning of the story, but no matter. It's just the right amount of information in map form. Secondly, the story is told in a lovely rhyming scheme that will focus the attention of the listener. The illustrations by Helen Cann are terrific. The ratio of text to illustrations is perfect for a storytime, or simply to keep a child interested in the book while absorbing the beauty of the illustrations. At the end of the story there are four important afterwords: a two-page engaging description of silk as a product told in legend form, a two-page history of the Silk Road, a two-page description of six interesting places along the Silk Road, and an author's note describing the journey she and her husband took along the Silk Road with photos taken by her husband. This author's note establishes her credibility for writing the story. She herself did the journey.
I loved this story and hope that it will ignite a passion for Silk Roads history in young readers.
Hat's off to Laurie Krebs, who essentially turned her adventure vacation along the Silk Roads route into a children's book. There are several things I will commend about this title. First off, it has an excellent map of the route described in the book. It's at the end of the story; I would have put it at the beginning of the story, but no matter. It's just the right amount of information in map form. Secondly, the story is told in a lovely rhyming scheme that will focus the attention of the listener. The illustrations by Helen Cann are terrific. The ratio of text to illustrations is perfect for a storytime, or simply to keep a child interested in the book while absorbing the beauty of the illustrations. At the end of the story there are four important afterwords: a two-page engaging description of silk as a product told in legend form, a two-page history of the Silk Road, a two-page description of six interesting places along the Silk Road, and an author's note describing the journey she and her husband took along the Silk Road with photos taken by her husband. This author's note establishes her credibility for writing the story. She herself did the journey.
I loved this story and hope that it will ignite a passion for Silk Roads history in young readers.
March 21, 2017
History, Social Studies, Asia
January 24, 2018
A rhyming story about a Chinese family traveling along the Silk Road. Originally published in Great Britain in 2005 as We're Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road.
September 26, 2019
Other cultures journey
February 8, 2021
Excellent history and culture for kids!
March 30, 2022
I love that the books ends with the author talking about how she and her husband had traveled the Silk Road.
September 1, 2020
Ages 6 and up. A young girl's journey on the Silk Road accompanied by bright illustrations and facts about its history helps kids understand that the age of exploration did not just belong to Europeans like Columbus.
March 20, 2020
Another educational yet fun read from Krebs!
Colorful and full illustrations and a prose that rhymes - your kids will like learning about the Silk Road.
Ages: 4 - 8
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Colorful and full illustrations and a prose that rhymes - your kids will like learning about the Silk Road.
Ages: 4 - 8
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
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August 10, 2012We're Riding on a Caravan chronicles a family's year-long journey along the Silk Road to deliver items to a bazaar at Kashgar. This is a part of a series of books by Laurie Krebs that highlight places and cultures around the world, and also introduce concepts such as counting, the days of the week and parts of speech. Written in catchy rhyme, the story introduces children to the different places and landscapes along the route with vibrant illustrations. In notes at the end of the book, Krebs also offers valuable information about the how silk is made and the history and significance of the Silk Road.
November 5, 2014
4.25 Stars This book is going on my recommendation shelf. I really didn't find anything I didn't like about it. I like the pictures, I like the story, I like the history explanation in the back, I like the folklore explaining how silk and the silk trade was started! What is best is is the repetition of "We're riding on a caravan, a bump humpy caravan, We're riding on a caravan to place far away"` and it is written humpy and bumpy... Lovely pictures! Like a lot!
November 21, 2016
I bought this for my young daughter. The Silk Road comes alive in the beautiful colorful pictures and easy to understand text. Children will be fascinated by the caravans and journey to other lands. Recommended for preschool to elementary school children or adults like me who enjoy reading children's books.
May 16, 2011
The rhyme that runs throughout the story was funny (Daisee's comment).
Good information on the history of the silk road and of silk.
Useful as part of a study of China, silk or exploration. I would have given it 4*.
Good information on the history of the silk road and of silk.
Useful as part of a study of China, silk or exploration. I would have given it 4*.
Want to Read
January 23, 2010July 11, 2016
Silk Road
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews