Ramses II: Egyptian Pharaoh, Warrior, and Builder

Children's Literature - Jamie Hain

In the history of Egypt, only one pharaoh ruled for almost 70 years, completing more construction projects and winning more battles than any other. That pharaoh was Ramses II. In this biography, Stephanie Fitzgerald explores the details of his life that marked Ramses II as one of the greatest pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. This book is full of colorful illustrations and informative inserts about the life and culture of ancient Egyptians, including details about mummification, hieroglyphs, art, and religion. Part of the "Signature Lives Ancient World" series, this book contains a detailed timeline of Ramses II's life, a glossary of words that may be new to young readers, an index of terms for quick reference, and a list of additional resources for those who want to learn more. Written in an easy-to-read style, this highly informative book would make a great resource for classes studying Ancient Egypt and a good addition to any school library. Reviewer: Jamie Hain

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8

Though these books are primarily biographies, they also offer details about the history and daily life of Egypt's New Kingdom era. Hatshepsut is more focused on that ruler's life. It also discusses more topics concerning women, such as giving birth and the role of female royalty. The book expects some sophistication from its readers. Ramses , which is geared toward the younger end of the grade level and features simpler sentence structures, provides broad background on the history of the ancient civilization. Both texts are accompanied by high-quality photographs of artifacts, maps, and floor plans. Each book's detailed time line, comparing events in Egypt to those throughout the world, is helpful for placing the lives of the pharaohs in context. For readers with an interest in ancient Egypt or students seeking those hard-to-find 100-plus-page, age-appropriate biographies for assignments, these books are an excellent fit. They incorporate recent archaeological findings and provide excellent, updated supplements to the "Leaders of Ancient Egypt" series (Rosen, 2003).-Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT