Ancient Egypt - History

Who Built the Pyramid?

Name: Who Built the Pyramid?
Author: Meredith Hooper
ISBN: 9780763630461

by Meredith Hooper, Robin Heighway-Bury

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Overview

"Hooper and newcomer Heighway-Bury have concocted a sophisticated yet easily appreciated offering for budding Egyptophiles." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

Who did build the pyramid? Like all things Egyptian, pyramids are a source of endless fascination for young readers. In this innovative non-fiction title, everyone from the mighty king to the lowly water carrier claims to have built this massive monument. And whether you're asking the high priest or the stonemason, each person has a good reason to claim credit for a real pyramid that was built more than four thousand years ago. With lively text and bold illustrations, Meredith Hooper and Robin Heighway-Bury create an unusual, carefully researched look at one of the wonders of ancient Egypt. Meredith Hooper worked with Egyptologists at the British Museum in London and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to create this story - and fact-filled endnotes provide even more fascinating information.

Synopsis

"Hooper and newcomer Heighway-Bury have concocted a sophisticated yet easily appreciated offering for budding Egyptophiles." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly

In Meredith Hooper's Who Built the Pyramid?, illus. by Robin Heighway-Bury, the opening spreads introduce different players in Egyptian history, all claiming responsibility for the construction of King Senwosret's pyramid. Readers finally get the facts in the back pages, packed with reportage about the pyramids' planning and later, its pillaging. At times, the text raises more questions than it answers, but the watercolor and computer-generated illustrations reflect the warm tones of the desert civilization. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

About the Author, Meredith Hooper

Meredith Hooper uses the storybook form in WHO BUILT THE PYRAMID? to make the latest research accessible for a young audience. Meredith Hooper is an historian by training and the author of many books,
ranging in subject from Antarctica to aviation, from the history of water to the history of inventions.

Robin Heighway-Bury has been illustrating for sixteen years but this is his first book for children. Robin Heighway-Bury lives in London, and found inspiration for his illustrations for WHO BUILT THE PYRAMID? at the Egyptian galleries at the British Museum, which is just a short distance from his studio.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

This book begins by stating the claims of those who insist they built the pyramid. The king, his chief minister, high priest, quarry master, foreman of the gangs, laborers, water carrier, stonemason, sculptor of the capstone and the king's son each asserts that his was the key role. Then comes the tomb robber's tale. He tells of tunneling into the king's burial chamber and stealing everything of value. These individual stories are told in double-page spreads with illustrations and typeface inspired by art in the Egyptian galleries at the British Museum. This part could stand alone as an interesting and insightful, though brief, introduction to the pyramids. Fortunately for those who want to know more, it is followed by a wealth of background material divided into categories—"What Happened Next," "Discoveries," and "Building Senwosret's Pyramid." The reader learns that Senwosret's pyramid was the biggest and highest built in Egypt for 500 years and that it took the cooperation of perhaps 5,000 people to build. Illustrations include photos of the pyramid as it looks today and of the valley in which it sits, a statue of Senwosret I that was found at the pyramid site, an archeologist's photograph of the offerings uncovered in one foundation pit, and drawings of the pyramid location up close and from a distance. An index is included to make this a most useful book. 2001, Candlewick Press, $15.99. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer:Janet Crane Barley

School Library Journal

Gr 3-8-Through a combination of fiction and nonfiction, Hooper describes the construction of Senwosret's pyramid in Egypt 4000 years ago. On each illustrated spread, a different person claims to have built the pyramid, from Montuhotep, who designed it, to Inyotef, who sculpted the capstone, to Wah, who carried water to workers at the site. Some of the figures are real, others are fictional but together they ask readers to consider how many people it took to accomplish this great feat. The oversized computer drawings in bold, bright colors are striking. Final pages provide additional information on the planning, building, and robbing of the tomb. Color photos of the site and artifacts accompany this section. Although there are a number of titles for this audience on pyramids, this book approaches the topic in a unique way.-Betsy Barnett, Eads School District, CO Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

An unusual blend of fiction and nonfiction celebrates the individuals whose collective efforts built a pyramid 4,000 years ago. From Senwosret, the king who commanded its construction, through Imhotep, the priest who determined its placement, and Nakht, one of the laborers who actually wrestled the stones into place, to Wah, the water carrier-and Sasobek, the tomb robber who raided it-each man answers the question, "Who built the pyramid?" with brief poetic lines that capture each contribution. Nesumontu, the stonemason, says, "With my sharp eye and steady hand. / I'm a stonemason, like my father before me. / I cut and shaped the casing stones / to fit tight together on the outside of the pyramid. / You couldn't slide a hair between them! / I built the pyramid." One full-bleed, double-page spread highlights each contributor's efforts, the stylized, blocky human figures in terra-cotta, against terra-cotta sand, white stone, and turquoise sky. Eight pages of concise, clear prose accompanied by photographs and diagrams follow these poetic presentations to explain "what happened next" and to explore in greater detail the building, robbing, and excavation of the pyramid. While this extended author's note indicates that at least four of the characters introduced in the main body of the work were actual historical figures, it does not indicate that the artisans and laborers presented are fictional representations based on historic extrapolation. This information is buried with the copyright information, where most children will not encounter it. This detail aside, Hooper (Antarctic Journal, 2001, etc.) and newcomer Heighway-Bury, have concocted a sophisticated yet easily appreciated offeringfor budding Egyptophiles. (index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10)