Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World »

Ann Bowler is a full-time writer and has traveled with her family to Indonesia many times. She is the author of Gecko's Complaint. Ann lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California.

Did you know that 85 years before Columbus discovered America, Chinese ships longer than a football field sailed thousands of miles through unknown oceans and visited more than 30 nations? It's true! Adventures of the Treasure Fleet is the amazing story of these seven epic voyages and their larger-than-life commander, Admiral Zheng He.

Beginning in 1405, Admiral Zheng He led more than 300 gigantic, brightly-painted ships across the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean and all the way to the distant coast of Africa. The admiral and his crew battled pirates and raging storms, and were amazed by the people and ways of life in distant lands. At each port, Chinese goods were traded for pearls, precious stones, herbs and medicines which were given as tribute to China's powerful emperor when the ships' returned home.

Filled with historical facts, Adventures of the Treasure Fleet brings a fantastic piece of history to life. Gracefully told and beautifully illustrated, the story's fast pace will keep young ones captivated while offering enough information to satisfy curious readers of all ages.

Children's Literature

It is the start of the fifteenth century and Zhu Di is the new Emperor of China. He wants to cement China's position as a world leader, so he assigns his friend Zheng He to carry out a most important task: the assembly and command of a fleet of ships that will traverse the world trading goods and forging diplomatic relations with other countries. Before long, Zheng He has a fleet of more than 300 ships and 27,000 men in his so-called "Treasure Fleet." Over twenty-eight years, he leads seven great expeditions throughout the Western Seas to such places as Champa, Java, Malacca, India, Arabia, Africa, and Siam. He collects exotic treasures, establishes diplomatic alliances, fights pirates, and masters treacherous seas. Ann Bowler does a masterful job of presenting this little-known period of Asian history as an engaging tale. Each two-page spread features a different experience within the journey, with the story briefly recounted in vertical sidebars. Illuminating details about the trades and each visit's significance are included in horizontal bars. Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard's soft, pencil illustrations provide a gentle counterpoint to the action in this history-based story.