Children's Literature
Travel back in time to experience life in ancient Egypt. Loaded with lots of information, maps, photographs, and helpful hints, the source is a valuable research tool. What should you pack? Since clothing was optional, you must decide. Sheer white fabrics are recommended. Hair styles vary, but wigs are often worn. You will need to stay with a family, since hotels have not been invented yet. Beds have wooden headrests and not pillows. Although you will not find much meat to eat, there are many types of bread, fruit, and vegetables. Travel is primarily by foot or water, although occasionally you might find a donkey. You will surely want to see some of the sites—the pyramids (being built), the Temple of Amun at Karnak, and beautiful palaces. Souvenirs are plentiful, but buyer beware—some artisans use cheaper materials. As part of the "Passport to History" series, the text is cleverly written and an index makes it an easy reference guide. 2001, Runestone Press/Lerner, $26.60. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Laura Hummel
VOYA
Part of a six-volume series, Your Travel Guides, these books follow the same, well-organized format that begins with an introduction that is virtually the same in each book, followed by chapters that carry identical titles in every volume, including discussions of money, which cities to visit, local customs and manners, where to stay, and more. Scattered throughout the attractively designed pages are boxed tidbits of additional information. One chapter also contains instructions for making two items common during that period in history. Better editing of the volume on the Civil War might have caught the error that identifies Stonewall Jackson as a Union general, but overall the book is well researched and compiled. Several major battles are discussed as well as the use of African American soldiers, the basics of the conflicting philosophies of the North and South, military life, and what was going on off the battlefields. Ancient Egypt will teach students about the detailed and often complex society of ancient Egypt in simple language. Various periods are explained in each chapter. In the chapter on money, the evolution of prices, barter, and the development of currency through hundreds of years are discussed. This series would be a fine starting point for research on each period. Other volumes in the series cover ancient Mayan civilization, Renaissance Europe, Colonial America, and ancient Greece. Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Biblio. Further Reading. Chronology. VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001,Lerner, 96p. PLB $26.60. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Janet Mura SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)
School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-This flippant tour guide covers far too wide a time period to be effective. Practices changed dramatically throughout the history of Egypt, so that a trip back to only one era is not representative, and this leap-frog approach is even worse. The two maps included are vague. One shows the cataracts of the Nile but does not explain what they are; the other is a bird's-eye view of northern Egypt, the Middle East, and southern Europe. Photographs are of good quality and interesting. Back matter includes a skimpy glossary, a time line, and one recipe. Sidebars on almost every page provide factual tidbits such as prices of common goods, descriptions of how paper was made, a list of gods, care of clothing, and different kinds of food. The pretense of the travel guide gets in the way of the information and confuses readers by jumping through history. The use of terms such as "get a load of this" and "hold the ketchup, hold the mayo" are disconcerting. George Hart's Ancient Egypt (DK, 2000), Rosalie David's Discovering Ancient Egypt (Facts On File, 1994; o.p.), and Neil Morris's The Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Peter Bedrick, 2000) are all better choices.-Carol Durusau, Newton County Public Library, Covington, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
