Thrill-seekers and serious students of ancient Egyptian culture and values will be equally enthralled.
An exact description of a royal mummy’s embalming and burial, drawn from ancient records and from evidence found in a nearly intact tomb discovered in 1905.
Bower (How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt, 2005) embellishes her reverent account in minor ways with invented narrative details and in major ones with majestic illustrations of figures drawn in ancient Egyptian style. Ipy, son of the royal embalmer, Paneb, helps his priestly father prepare the body of Yuya—maternal grandfather of Pharaoh Ankhnaten—who is then buried near the Valley of the Kings. The author interweaves the explicit procedures (“Paneb slowly slipped his hand into the cut and started to pull out the intestines”) with associated rituals, transliterations of messages and prayers tucked into the many layers of linen wrapping, and explanations of each step’s physical and metaphysical significance. The pictures are less detailed, but they do capture the solemnity of the occasion as the mummy is created and then interred by a long procession of figures, each with a name or explanatory caption beneath. An emotional account of the tomb’s rediscovery, with photos and research notes, forms a substantial afterword. Readers will come away still vague on the actual chemicals employed (natron, for instance, though much mentioned, is defined only as “a sacred salt-like substance”) but clear about the profound ceremonial importance of the ancient rites.
Thrill-seekers and serious students of ancient Egyptian culture and values will be equally enthralled. (map, bibliography, family tree) (Informational picture book. 8-11)Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-60980-600-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Prefaced by a full-page close-up portrait, each of Arato’s nine short tales describes a watershed day in the life of a young person in a different part of the world and a time between the eighth and 14th centuries. In locales ranging from the Mayan city of Tikal and Tang Dynasty China to Timbuktu and Toledo, the children enjoy a ball game or a joust, visit a doctor, get married, make friends and like familiar experiences. The best and least purpose-driven of the lot is the closing episode, in which a young Spanish apprentice discovers that his loving master is a converso (a secret Jew) but reaches a wordless understanding with him. Because the settings aren’t described in close detail and in Ferguson’s pictures all of the children sport similar features and the same faraway look, readers will get a better feeling for the various societies’ commonalities than their differences. Still, each story is supplemented by a map and a spread of background facts, and overall the collection may pique readers' interest in finding out more about some of these realms and eras. (Informational fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897349-94-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 25, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Thompson uses the time of the Roman Empire as the setting for another horse story for younger readers (Highway Robbery, 2009). Young Marcus recounts the adventure that begins when a hurried slave abruptly turns over care of Emperor Caligula's horse, "Consul" Incitatus, to him. Although there's an undeniable thrill to having the responsibility for such a fine steed, Marcus, a baker's boy, is all too aware of the consequences that could befall his entire family if he should manage this wrong. But he's clever, resourceful and observant, and by paying attention to all the clues of daily life, he manages beautifully. The short page count, fast-paced plot and spot illustrations (not seen) should make this a great title for readers not yet ready for longer fiction. Although Marcus is not quite as unreliable as the earlier book’s narrator, this tale is significantly more sophisticated in both writing and plot than the common chapter-book ruck. Horse lovers will appreciate Incitatus’s horse sense, and fans of such other wily protagonists as Moxy Maxwell and Ivy + Bean will cheer Marcus’s solution. (Historical fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-173037-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2010
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
