A Single Pebble: A Story of the Silk Road

Gr 1–4—This lovely story traces a pebble's journey on the Silk Road. Mei lives near Chang'an (Xi'an), China, in AD 850. As her father, a silk trader, sets off on his route, she is denied the opportunity to go along since she has to care for the silk worms. Instead, she gives him a jade pebble with the request to give it to a child at the end of the road. Mei's father takes the pebble to Turfan (Turpan), where he passes it to a Buddhist monk. The monk pairs a flute with the gift and takes it to Kashgar. Readers will see other items added to the pebble as it passes from traveler to traveler. Finally, the gifts are stolen by a pirate in Antioch, who takes them to his son in Torcello, Italy. Although many small treasures accompany it, the jade rock is the pirate's son's favorite. At the story's conclusion Mei does not know the details of the pebble's journey, but she is hopeful that one day she, too, will travel the Silk Road. The different settings and characters are woven together to create a wonderful tale. The colorful illustrations reflect the customs and culture of each stop on the trade route, and the simple text gives context clues for children unfamiliar with the setting and historical period. An endnote and detailed maps on the endpapers give extensive background information on the subject.—Erica Thorsen Payne, Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA