BOOKS ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT

Maybe it's the fact that today it was 112 degrees outside (here in Southern California) that got me thinking about Ancient Egypt.  Not sure; but whatever the reason, today I'm blogging about some great books for kids out there that are centered around all things Egyptian!


PICTURE BOOKS:
The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo, illustrations by Ruth Heller.  An inventive re-telling of the classic tale.  In this version, Cinderella is "Rhodopis", a Greek Slave girl in ancient Egypt. (ages 4-8)

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola.  "On their journey down the Nile, dePaola's duo transport readers from the mummified past to a living present. Time distinction is abolished as the Nile Queen, the Grand Hotel, cars and umbrellas, sarcophaguses, sacred jewels and sphinxes are all part of the setting for an ancient story that still bears retelling. Shades of blue and gold strengthen the mood of the mystery and adventure." (Publisher's Weekly).  Full of fun and humor! (ages 4-8)

Pyramid by David Macaulay.  Macaulay's detailed pen-and ink illustrations frame his fictional story of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who commissions a pyramid to be built for him.  The book brings a mix of the architecture, history, and mysticism of ancient Egypt and will engross children and adults alike.  (ages 8 and up)



CHAPTER BOOKS:
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  To gain her freedom, Mara, a slave girl, plays the dangerous role of double spy for two arch enemies in the royal palace of Thebes. Exciting story of adventure, romance and intrigue in Ancient Egypt, in the days when Queen Hatshepsut ruled. (ages 8 and up)

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  Ranofer is an orphan in ancient Egypt who desires nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps as a goldsmith, but must thwart the plottings of his evil brother, Gebu. A story of mystery and suspense, in which Egyptian life from impoverished hovel to magnificent palace is dramatically portrayed. (ages 8 and up)



NONFICTION:
Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki.  My daughter was always intrigued by this detailed and wonderfully illustrated book about the 70-day process used by Egyptians of long ago, as they prepared and wrapped their dead to last forever.  (ages 8 and up)
 
Tut's Mummy:  Lost...and Found (Step-Into-Reading) by Judy Donnelly.  The author starts with simple details about how King Tutankhamen was buried and the ancient Eygyptians beliefs about death.  She then moves ahead to Howard Carter's five-year search (in the 1800's) for Egyptian treasure, which resulted in his discovery of the young king's tomb. (ages 4-8)
 
Exploring the Past:  Ancient Egypt by George Hart, illustrations by Stephen Biesty.  This brief yet information packed, over-sized book is a beautifully illustrated, exciting exploration of the world of Ancient Egypt. (ages 8-12) 
 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROALD DAHL

Yesterday was Roald Dahl's birthday, so in honor of that, I've decided to dedicate this post to him and some of his children's books.  He was born in 1916 in Wales, to Norwegian parents.  Dahl's father and elder sister died when he was only three, so he and his siblings were raised by their mother.  She used to tell them tales of Norwegian folklore - about trolls and other mythical creatures.

Roald Dahl didn't enjoy his schooldays and his unhappy memories greatly influenced his writing.  He did, however, enjoy trips to the sweetshops as a young boy.  And when he was older, his boarding school was close to Cadbury's  factory...sound familiar? At boarding school, he got in the habit of writing to his mother once every week (a habit that continued for over thirty years, until her death).

Dahl was 23 years old when WWII broke out and he joined the Royal Air Force.  He was sent home as an invalid, after "surviving a direct hit at the Battle of Athens". Eventually he was sent to Washington, where he was enlisted to help publicize the British war effort by writing a piece for THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.  His writing career was underway.  This account is from the Roald Dahl Official WEBSITE:

Roald Dahl's first book for children was not, as many suppose, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH but THE GREMLINS, a picture book published in 1943 and adapted from a script written for Disney. Walt Disney had invited the 25 year-old Roald to Hollywood, given him the use of a car and put him up at the Beverly Hills Hotel.  The story of THE GREMLINS focused on the mischievous spirits that, according to RAF legend, cause aircraft-engine failures.  In the end, the project to make a movie version was abandoned but the book was published.  Roald was never very keen on THE GREMLINS and didn't really think of it as a children's book.  Nevertheless, it caught Eleanor Roosevelt's eye and Roald became a not infrequent guest at the White House and FDR's weekend retreat, Hyde Park.

Dahl first became interested in writing children's books by inventing bedtime stories for his own two daughters.  His stories are especially good for reading aloud.  Here are some of our favorites (many with illustrations by Quentin Blake)...

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH - From a past post Chapter Books My Sons Loved. 

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR - Also from the post mentioned above.

THE BFG - "Big Friendly Giant" - Sophie, an eight-year-old orphan, is kidnapped by the BFG and taken to Giantland, where her friendly alliance with the BFG and the queen of England results in the capture of the nine evil giants.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Mr. Fox has to continually keep one step ahead of the three farmers whose cruel obsession is the extermination of the Fox family.  I also highly recommend the recent stop-motion animated feature of Fantastic Mr. Fox!

MATILDA - From Publisher's Weekly: "Adults may cringe at Dahl's excesses in describing the cruel Miss Trunchbull, as well as his reliance on overextended characterization at the expense of plot development. Children, however, with their keenly developed sense of justice, will relish the absolutes of stupidity, greed, evil and might versus intelligence, courage and goodness." (Sadly, Miss Trunchbull is based on one of Dahl's own teachers at a boarding school he attended from ages 9-13).

Roald Dahl had many passions and interests outside of his writing.  He also suffered many family tragedies in his lifetime, but they did not make him bitter.  He continually tried to overcome them with positive action.  One example of this is when his four-month-old son Theo became brain damaged after a car accident.  Dahl, along with two friends - one a neurosurgeon, the other an engineer - spent months developing a valve that would drain fluid from the brain to allow his son to live free of machines.  (It was used for years, until being finally surpassed by new developments in technology; and Theo made a spectacular recovery!)

Roald Dahl died November 23, 1990, at the age of 74 from a rare blood disorder.  For more books, information, and fun facts about Roald Dahl, don't miss his website, http://www.roalddahl.com/.

CHAPTER BOOKS FOR RESTLESS READERS

Do you have a kindergarten-aged child who is developing enough of an attention span to go beyond picture books, but has trouble sitting still?  These read aloud classics are a perfect introduction to chapter books - especially (but not exclusively) for boys, because they are full of action and adventure.

  A TOAD FOR TUESDAY by Russell E. Erikson.   Brothers, Warton and Morton, are two toads that happen to be very different.  Morton is a home-body and Warton is adventurous. On a Thursday, brave Warton decides to go out in the snow on his little homemade skis, but is swooped up by an owl who wants to save him for his birthday meal on Tuesday.  Can Warton convince the owl to be his friend in just five days, or will he be a birthday treat?  Cute and funny, but with enough danger to keep kids on the edge of their seats.  (There are quite a few sequels, but most are out of print and only available at your local library.)  Grades K-3

  
FLAT STANLEY by Jeff Brown.  Poor Stanley - his parents find him flattened one morning after being crushed beneath his huge bulletin board in the middle of the night!  But he finds there are some advantages to being flat (like being mailed in a large envelope to friends in California).  He has many exciting adventures and there are lots of sequels that will keep your child reading.  Grades K-3

Click here for a past blog post I wrote about "Chapter Books My Sons Loved".  (I give a couple more recommendations for ages 6 -10, but the rest are for ages 9-12).