The book begins with a quick overview of the ancient, influential civilization of Egypt, then covers its geography and the central importance of the Nile. Although there are separate chapters on religion, gods and goddesses, and belives about the afterlife, they are woven into the chapters about the pharaohs, hieroglyphs, mummies, and the pyramids. In the final chapters on the tombs and burial grounds, information about Howard Carter and other Western archeologists is included, as well as the destruction caused by mummy unwrapping parties and other popular activities at the time of the rediscovery of Egypts ancient tombs. A final chapter covers how ancient Egypt became the modern Egypt of today and briefly mentions their attempts to get their ancient monuments and archeological treasures returned from Western museums.
Back matter includes a list of museums where you can view Egyptian art and artifacts, a pronunciation guide, and an index. The art is colorful and stylized, mimicking the design of Egyptian hieroglyphs and tomb-paintings. The people pictured have a range of skin shades, from brown to black.
This is a very general overview, an introduction as the title says. It touches very briefly on the looting and theft of Egypt's archeological past and offers no commentary or discussion of Britain's colonial rule. It's a great introduction for kids who want to learn the basics of ancient Egyptian religion and the most popular aspects, like the tombs and the legend of the Mummy's Curse, and how hieroglyphs work. Teachers will want to pull in more supplemental resources and more nuanced introductions for older readers though.
Verdict: If you need more basic overviews of ancient Egypt, especially for a homeschooling audience, this is a decent choice. Make sure you have more nuanced and diverse resources as well though.
ISBN: 9780762471577; Published March 2021 by Black Dog and Leventhal; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library
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