Customer Reviews

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

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Beautifully written and illustrated, The Travels of Bejamin of Tudela takes us on an incredible journey through the ancient Jewish world into the Diaspora nine hundred years ago. As the story unfolds, we visit one enchanting city after another and experience with our imaginations and amazing illustrations the sights, sounds, and smells of each beautiful and mysterious location. Don't miss this great adventure!

In 1159, Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish man living in Spain, set out on a 14 year journey across the Mediterranean Sea and through the Middle East. His Hebrew-language journal is a wonderful look into the world of the twelfth century, but it is not accessible to many people. Well, in this wonderful book, author Uri Shulevitz retells Benjamin's story for the younger reader!

Large and lavishly illustrated, this book does an excellent job of retelling Benjamin's story in a manner that is easily grasped by the younger reader. But, don't write this book off as mere childishness. Not being content to merely entertain, the author includes a number of interesting sidebars, in which he explains things being discussed.

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating book - entertaining and informative. I highly recommend this book to those who have younger readers who want something distinctly non-childish. I highly recommend this book!

I read this with my 7-year-old daughter, and we both loved it. It's a fascinating story that effortlessly weaves in history and geography. The pictures are beautiful.

To say this is a picture book is misleading. This book is a work of art and history for readers 8 through 12, with mature 5 to 7 year olds enjoying this as a read-aloud in sections for a few nights running. Uri Shulevitz's captivating artwork always sets apart his books, but in this case, his writing is also truly magnificent. Told largely in a first-person narrative adapted from the Hebrew with additional historical sources, Shulevitz really runs with the voice of Benjamin. He becomes as compelling as the true-life adventure he tells. As a gift (or even as class project), it would make a neat paring with Demi's _Marco Polo_, which is less readable, though similar in theme and also with gorgeous artwork. Boys will particularly like this book, I think.

Straightforward book of the wanderings of a Jewish man around the Mediterranean and Persia in the 1100's. Does not go much into the dangers of travel, and mostly recounts how unpleasant and difficult the journey itself was. Tells briefly some of what there was to see.

I was troubled to see that this book claims (in passing) that the captive Israelites built Egypt's great pyramids. The pyramids were already a thousand years old when the Bible's Joseph was in Egypt. This is a fairly common misconception, but it would be nice for books like this to set the record straight.

It is a fairly good item for small children. According to the description I thought it was for older children - but it will do for reading to my grandchildren (whenever they come along!). The format and colours are attractive.