Ancient Egypt

Children's Literature

There is no doubt that the ancient Egyptians were an amazing civilization. This nonfiction detailing of their lives is fairly comprehensive in its breadth but not so much in its depth. Nonetheless, it is still interesting reading. While this book does not go into great detail, there is enough information to gain a glimpse of what life for these people might have been like. Everything is covered from the beginnings of the Egyptian civilization to its final fall and decline. Briefly covered are origins, famous landmarks, pharaohs and burial rituals, gods and goddesses, daily life, war and foreigners. The photographs used are representative and well chosen. There is a small, ready to assemble replica of the Temple of Rameses III. It is, however, frustrating to work with unless your child has a great deal of patience, persistence and perhaps a bit a sand paper. Nice for a unit study or home school collection. Part of the "History in Stone" series. 2001, Silver/Dolphin, ,
— Trina Heidt

School Library Journal

Gr 5 Up-These books have a depth of content that is unusual in art-history books for this age group. The texts are fairly straightforward, covering the artistic development of each culture by exploring not only the surviving artifacts, but the history and religion of the peoples as well. Each volume is amply illustrated with full-color photographs and reproductions. Most are captioned with a brief explanatory paragraph and directional lines pointing out symbolism, details, characters, mediums, techniques, and other information. This point-by-point explanation of various pieces of art makes these books stand out and will attract readers who want to know more than just the bare facts about the subject. In two-page topic treatments, the authors explore particular aspects of the culture or art and sometimes focus on an important artistic development, building, or type of art. Well-written, informative titles for most collections, especially for those with a strong art readership.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.