The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century

by Uri Shulevitz

Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century Imagine a time when streets were narrow and dirty, towns were surrounded by walls, brigands lurked alongside roads that were treacherous and few, bridges over rivers were rare, and a man setting out on a journey never knew if he would return alive. It was the year 1159 when the medieval Jewish traveler Benjamin left his native town of Tudela in northern Spain on an adventure to see the places he had read about in the Bible. He traveled for fourteen years - from Rome to Constantinople to Jerusalem to Baghdad, among others - by ship, by cart, and on foot, enduring great hardships in his quest for knowledge of other places and people. Working from Benjamin's original chronicle, written in Hebrew, as well as other sources on the period, Uri Shulevitz captures the true spirit of this amazing adventurer, using a text written in the first person and superlative illustrations. The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela is a 2006 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Jewish, Geography, Childrens, Middle Grade, Travel

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2005

About the author

Uri Shulevitz was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1969 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, an Eastern European fairy tale retold by Arthur Ransome in 1916.

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was at the library with my kids when I saw this book sitting on the shelf. Benjamin of Tudela? Who the heck is Benjamin of Tudela? Twelfth century? Why is twelfth spelled so weird?

I teach social studies, so I should know this guy, right? I mean, I teach about Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta - And they hit the road not TOO much later than this guy, Ben, right? (1271 and 1325 respectively - Benjamin of Tudela left in 1159). Besides, if Benjamin was first, why aren't we learning about him?

The author, Uri Shulevitz brings up these points. Claiming that Benjamin was even the first European to record the name "China." Actually, Shulevitz's exact words are, "Benjamin was the first European to mention the existence of China, which he called Tsin." That's a pretty bold statement to make - Shulevitz has to mean "mention in writing," right? *SEE EDIT AT END OF REVIEW*

I imagine that's the whole reason we teach about Polo and Battuta: because they wrote books about their travels. (Each appropriately titled: Travels.) But Benjamin of Tudela wrote about his as well. So why don't we teach about him?

Probably because, dang: there have been a lot of people in the history of the world. I mean, like... a lot a lot.

The book has a fantastic map of his travels, too:



(That's from a blog promoting the book.)

He traveled far, and the journey took 14 years. And some of it was covered by the other travelers as well. For instance, I specifically remember reading all about The Assassins when I read The Travels by Marco Polo. And the map is beautifully rendered, but when I compared it to the other maps, Benjamin just didn't travel as far. Here, I overlayed in red his journeys compared with that of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Sorry that the other colors between Polo and Battuta are so hard to tell apart.





That isn't to say we shouldn't teach about him. In fact, this book would tie in really well with so many standards and indicators I have to cover. (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Middle-East, Caliphate, Crusades, trade-routes, etc...) So, maybe I will teach it.

I will add that it was funny finding this in the same section of the library as We Are In a Book and Scaredy Squirrel. Although it's a "short children's picture book," the reading level is extremely high. And there's a lot of text. For example, I would imagine even my 7th graders would struggle with sentences such as this one: "When the crowd saw the Caliph, followed by a long retinue of all the lords of Islam, the princes of Arabia, the people grew excited and their singing increased." I tried to trick my 5 year old daughter into reading it with me, but she was having none of it.

Loved the book. Loved learning about the guy. If our school happens to run into some money, I'm going to ask for a classroom collection. ...The economy's looking great these days, right?


*EDIT 3/17/2014*

So, I THOUGHT it was a bold claim to make - that Benjamin was the first European to mention China - in the 12th century. Seriously, the Silk Road had already been established for over 1000 years. In all that time not ONE person had mentioned it?

So, Shulevitz is a Children's book author, and not a(n) historian, so I'm cutting him some slack. The book was still fantastic.

But Benjamin wasn't the first: This is from The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea written by a "Greek-writing author, somewhen in the 1st or 2nd century." See number 64.

Thoughts, or comments on this? Should I email Shulevitz, or just let it slide?

Thanks again, to Professor McInneshin for the added history lesson via facebook.

*End of Edit*

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good introduction to someone I knew nothing about. Frank, but tasteful, treatment of the Crusades and their associated genocidal hi-jinks. The paintings are evocative of medieval art without being imitative.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't put many picture books on here but I'm sure I'll want to refer to this again down the road. Well done narrative adaptation of a real travel journal from the 1100s.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details the travels of Benjamin of Tudela, in his quest to see Jerusalem and other areas accessible from the Mediterranean Sea.

The fictional account reads like a diary, and the narrative is very informative and engaging.

The illustrations are colorful, often contrasting the bold blues of the sea with the muted earth tones of the rocky landscapes.

Overall, it's a very interesting tale, one that combines a history lesson with the spirit of an avid traveler.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1173 a traveler returns home to Tudela, Spain after a fourteen year absence. He goes to the synagogue where he is greeted by the rabbi, “Stranger, you remind me of a man I once knew. Who are you?”

“Rabbi,” the traveler replies, “I’m Benjamin, son of Jonah.”

“Praise be to God!” exclaims the old rabbi. “You’ve come home.”

Benjamin gathers his friends, who thought he was dead, and tells them of the amazing places he’s visited and the fascinating stories that he’s heard. Escaping pirates, shipwreck at sea, and windstorms in the desert, he tells of his journey through France to Italy, Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Baghdad, Babylon, Persia, Cairo, and Mount Sinai.

Drawing on many sources in addition to Benjamin’s own narrative, the author, who is also a Caldecott award winning illustrator, brings to life the dangers, excitement, and marvels of the medieval European and Near Eastern world in a beautifully illustrated and informative story.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Marco Polo there was Benjamin of Tudela. Benjamin was a man who lived in the town of Tudela which was in northern Spain. He was Jewish and had grown up reading the Bible. When he was 35 he decided he was going to leave Tudela and travel to all the places he had read about in the Bible. Overcoming the objections, concerns and lamentations of his friends, family and community, he set off on an epic 14 year journey because as he says “I could find no peace until my dreams became reality.” The record he left behind gave Europeans of the time, and historians of today, a pretty accurate view of daily life and geography of the Middle East (a location not many had or would ever travel to back then). The illustrations used in the book do an amazing job of drawing the reader in and adding to the emotions the author tries to invoke.

[Janna Odenthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book twice so far, and would love to read the original version, though it's difficult to find (this is the children's version). This is the true story of a Jewish man from Spain who wanted to travel to visit some of the locations of Biblical historical events. Having traveled by foot, camel, boat, etc, he encountered pirates, assassins, desert bandits and more. He also met kings, peasants, and too many others to list. I learned so many things from this book that I never knew about the world and about history. Some of the sights remain standing today. Highly recommend this!

[Brenda D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully illustrated book and an amazing story. I had not heard of Bejamin of Tudela, and his travels across three continents in the 12th century. This book is based on his written account of that journey and it would be fascinating to read his original journals.

So, despite the fact that I was not the target audience for this book (which is clearly aimed at younger readers) I decided to give it a full 5 stars.

That said, I am unclear on what age of child this book is aimed at ... it seems too advanced for a very young reader but it is too simple for a teen ... hmm. So I can just say that I very much enjoyed this book as a "short story" which combines travelogue, biblical stories, historical events and fables along with gorgeously coloured images that evoke both the time period and the foreign lands Benjamin visited and the perilous travel he experienced in-between!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my kids as part of our year long study of medieval history and it was fascinating. Benjamin of Tudela (Spain) was a medieval traveler who spent 14 years traveling Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He pre-dated Marco Polo by 100 years and is thought to be the first European to mention China in his writing. We learned a ton about travel during the Medieval period, life in medieval Baghdad, Cairo, and other cities. Wonderful illustrations and deeply researched with an extensive bibliography list that you can use for further reading. Highly recommend this book for bringing to life someone many of us likely know very little about.

[Trevor Bouma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the story about a real guy named Benjamin who lived in the 1100s. He lived in Spain, and he wanted to travel to places all over Europe, Asia, and even Africa. He kept a journal about everything he saw and wrote a book when he got home.

The pictures in the book are really nice with lots of color and detail. You can imagine what the cities and people looked like back then.

I liked learning about what life was like a long time ago. Plus, there’s a map that shows the places Benjamin went to, and an author’s page at the end about how the author wrote the book.
This book was really cool!

[Gabe Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this books pictures! I think that the books story is very informational and interesting, but the illustrations are the reason you stay. I think that this book is great to introduce students to middle ages exploration and travelling but the pictures make it so easy and fun to follow along the story.

[Alex Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book and feel like i would use this in my classroom to express a history lesson from this book. I like this book because of the illustrations and explanations it gives from each historical site.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun 14 year travel log in just a few pages. It would be nice to have a little more description at each place but overall its a good overview of medival culture from a Jewish traveller.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this interesting book

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this book. I have never heard of Benjamin of Tudela before. It was fun to map his travels on our big wall map.

[Kati Zuber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this book is whimsical, and the story is very attention catching. I loved looking for geographical Easter Eggs as I read through the book

[Robert Ellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book on a random search in my library, and I'm so happy I did! I really enjoyed reading about Benjamin's travels. The artwork and story are very good!

[Carson Talley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun history book for young readers that teachers about different cultures and places in the world. Children learn about new places and culturally diverse people.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colors of the waters, skies, people and places in the illustrations were mesmerizing. Sidebars to the narrative and author's note enrich understanding of 12th century travel. Long before passports, credit cards, travelers checks... "The papers a traveler might carry consisted of a receipt from his hometown's authorities that he had paid his taxes, and a letter requesting safe passage and testifying to his worthiness, that he owed no debts in his community, and that he was not running away from justice. Benjamin might have carried a letter of credit, to receive money advances in Jewish communities along his journey, to be repaid by him, upon his return to Tudela, or by his family, in case of his death. These letters were safer and lighter than the heavy coins of his day, and they were of no use to robbers who couldn't read."

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

(CIP) A fictionalized account of the travels of Benjamin, a Jewish man from Tudela, Spain, who, in 1159, set out on a fourteen-year-long journey that took him to Italy, Greece, Palestine, Persia, Egypt, and Sicily.

(Claudia) In picture book format, with text suitable for upper elementary readers, Benjamin narrates travel adventures, describes exotic places, and recounts historical and fabulous tales. Gorgeous full- and double-page illustrations are well-matched to the text.

(SLP) starred review: “Both art and text will help readers imagine life during that time …”

(Hornbook) “ … an eye-filling tour of the medieval Mediterranean, [but the] bulky first-person text … falls short as an absorbing narrative.”

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-8 Illustrated fiction

1173. After returning to his hometown in Tudela, Spain, Benjamin tells the story of his travels which began 14 years earlier with the goal of visiting as many places mentioned in the bible as possible. The story provides readers with a vivid description of what it was like to be a traveler during this time period (needed documents, supplies etc)

Based on a true story.

[Jarm Boccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Byzantine style illustrations and retelling of this true account in diary form, makes the reader feel he has joined Benjamin in his journey. Well done...history lovers will lose themselves in the pages!

[Debrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and gorgeous. Benjamin wrote about his travels, and Shulevitz recreated some of them and set them in their medieval context to write this book.

[Philip Piaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a strange and hauntingly wonderrful book by a strange hauntingly wonderful author/illustrator, one of the less appreciated geniuses of picture books

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, this book tells the story of Benjamin in a very special an captivating way

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes:
haven't read this to the kids yet as I think it's best for maybe 12+
it's really long but a great story making history very alive

[Brittney Swetmon]

little taste of the crusades.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that helps create an understanding of ancient history and geography.

[Renae Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin of Tudela is a Jew from Tudela Spain. He has just returned to his home community from traveling across three continents on a journey that took fourteen years. He tells of dangerous water crossings, discord between different religions, and a lot of the customs of different places in the early twelfth century. It reads a little bit like a history book and you may lose some kids, but this would be a great book to have in the classroom library for students who are interested in history.

6+1 Traits:
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Voice

Lexile: 920L
Guided Reading: V