PHARAOH

A beautiful encapsulation of a pharaoh’s duties, from life to death and beyond. Concentrating on the New Kingdom period of Egyptian history (1550-1070 BCE), readers see the death of Seti I, his funeral preparations, what his journey through the afterlife entails and the rise of his son Ramesses II. Kennett deftly weaves religion, war, trade and the floods of the Nile into a succinct but complete examination of life in Ancient Egypt. Lush acrylics portray everything from sweeping panoramas of cultural centers and soaring temples to intricate hieroglyphics and canopic jars. Beginning the book with the death of one ruler and the rise of the new allows Kennett the freedom to start with some of his most interesting material (mummies and the Book of the Dead) and from there lead child readers into some of the more basic aspects of daily life in Egypt at that time. Some captions on the smaller pictures would not have been amiss, but on the whole this is an impressive offering, three years in the making. (glossary, index, map) (Nonfiction. 8-12)