Tales of the Dead: Ancient Egypt, by Stewart Ross

Subtitle: A gripping novel tells a tale of murder, magic, and mayhem.
Rating: 6/10

While this book isn't as sinister as it sounds, it really gave me a sense that we wouldn't do this one. 
For those who aren't quite as sensitive as I am, however, I will provide a more accurate description, so you can decide for yourself. 

The "graphic novel" portion is a comic strip that winds itself around the central text that repeats much of the information found in other Ancient Egypt books. 

The comic portion is geared to create a lot of suspense, and is about a boy and a slave girl.  The slave girls is about 12 or 13, and is set to be married to a much older man, who was the chief embalmer.  I can only assume that it isn't a first wife position, because I am over analytical and can't imagine that such a powerful man would choose a slave girl as a wife.  Anyway, the follow him at night and catch him stealing from the pyramid and then get sealed into the pyramid and finally make their way out.  there is much discussion about the god Sobek and his temple, and asking Sobek to protect them, and then the chief embalmer catches them snooping around and tries to kill them by throwing them in the river with the hippos.  The finally meet the Pharaoh, and tell her about the stealing, and she orders a search of the temple and the embalming sites.  Nothing is found, until the end, when the boy plunges his hand inside a mummy and finds the stolen goods.  The cheif embalmer runs away, and and gets wound up eaten by a crocodile, which they relate back to Sobek, the crocodile god.  The text on each page relates to the storyline on that page in some way.  However, the whole story raises a lot of questions for me, such as why hide jewels inside a mummy, and how the children were able to push a heavy stone that it took 3 grown men to put in place. 

Old Testament Days: An Activity Guide by Nancy Sanders

Rating: 7.5/10

Again, if were a craftier mother, I would rate this book higher.  Similar again to Ancient Egyptians and their neighbors, and some of the activity books Winterpromise offers, this book has several ideas, not all of which *I* would be inclined to do.  Ranging from building a real bee basket (yeah, not happening here, I have bee-phobia), to making a trimbel, to making your own slingshot, there are lots of activities to go along with your Bible stories.  Some require materials to make clothing, others require meal preparation, this would be a useful resource to the parent who likes doing hands-on activities that require more than minimal prep time.

Who built the pyramids by Jane Chisholm and Struan Reid

Rating: 6.5/10

An Usborne book, this is less scattered than most, but it does repeat a lot of information we have gone over so far.  It is a bit easier to read than Sonlight's Usborne book, because it has questions for topics, so it bridges the gap between subjects.  Yet, at the same time, there isn't enough new information in here to justify adding it as another resource, unless you wish to actually replace this portion of the Usborne book of world history.

The Great Wonder by Annabelle Howard

Rating: 7/10

This book would be good for any child who finds studying about Ancient Egypt boring.  It starts out as 4 childeren go to a museum, and one boy in particular finds it really boring.  During the movie portion, he suddenly finds himself at the pyramid instead, and wanders around seeing the various portions, and then at the end, wakes up as the movie is ending.

Storytelling could be better, but it helps get children more involved.

Ten Kings and the Worlds they Ruled by Milton Meltzer

Rating: 6.5/10

For those interested, the Ten Kings are Hammurabi, David, Alexander the Great, Attila,Charlemagne, Mansa Musa, Atahualpa, Louis XIV, and Peter the Great. 

Basically this book gives a summary of each king and their reign.  Their is a lot of text, and while it is interesting, we just couldn't get engaged in the stories we have done up to this point.  I did a lot of summarizing and skipping over sections that weren't interesting.  For an older child, in Core 6, this could be a read-aloud, but I think we can find the same information in a more engaging format.

Gilgamesh the King by Ledmile Zeman

Rating: 2/10

Gilgamesh is a fictional myth to begin with, so I was already skeptical about this book from the start.  It isn't very well written, I don't think, although there is some semblance of a moral to it.

The plot is about King Gilgamesh, and how he didn't have any friends and mistreated people as a result.  The gods created another being name Enkidu, who lived in forest and looked like an animal, but was friends with all the animals.  Gilgamesh sent a woman named Shamhat to Enkidu to draw him out to the city so he could kill him.  Enkidu and Shamhat fall in love, and Enkido goes to fight Gilgamesh anyway.

Once there, they are evenly matched, until Gilgamesh slips and falls of the top of the wall they are fighting on, and Enkidu saves him as he is going over. Then, they become friends and live happily ever after. 

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World DVD

Rating: 9.5/10

Finding documentaries for children that aren't cartoonish in nature, yet aren't so dry as to be boring for young viewers is not always easy.

However, this DVD easily accomplishes that balance.  Going through a step by step view of each of the 7 wonders, describing how and why it was made, with computer animations, it shows dramatizations of the building of each of them.  It provides plenty of information for adults and children alike.  Running time is 140 minutes. 

Also included, is an alternate 7 Wonders of the Ancient World that the Greeks, who came up with the original list, had not seen.  From the Colosseum to the Great Wall of China and including the terra cotta army, it gives a very brief description and history of each.

Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors: An Activity Guide by Marian Broida

Rating: 7/10

Mothers who are more likely to do crafty activities might give this book a higher rating.

This book falls along the lines of many of the activity books used by Winterpromise in their curriculum.  Consisting of textual information followed by a craft, the book moves through four main ancient cultures: the Hittites, the Nubians, the Mesopotamians, and the Egyptians.  Activities range from building a Egyptian Model Garden to a Model Ziggurat to a Shaduf to Hittite Shoes to Lentil Stew.  Most of the crafts require some prep on the part of the parent, but tend to use mostly common household items, with an occasional unusual item thrown in.

If you are looking for some crafts to help with Core 1, this is at least as good as the Handle on the Arts program (although not scheduled out for you) and you can easily get it from your library.

Mummies: A Strange Science Book by Sylvia Funston

 Rating: 9/10

Instead of, like most mummy books, discussing mainly the mummies made in Egypt, this book shows a sample of all the different ways mummies can be made, from around the world.  From Cherchen Man in China to the Chinchorro Mummies in South America, it describes how different types of land can create mummies, including frozen mountain tops and bogs.  It also includes man-made mummies outside of Egypt.

There is also a board game included pertaining to mummies, animal mummies (both man-made and nature made), instructions for mummifying an apple that looks really fun, and a map of where the various mummies were found.

One Grain of Rice by Demi

Rating: 6/10

Sonlight carries a book similar to this in its Core K, but the Sonlight book is better written.  This one is recommended by the SOTW activity book. 

I would substitute the Sonlight book in its place:

Curse of the Pharaohs: My Adventures with Mummies by Zahi Hawass (National Geographic)

Rating: 7.5/10

Despite its name, this book is more interesting in disproving the curse of the mummies and discovering fascinating finds by the archaeologist author (who is in charge of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt). 

The photography is beautiful, but there is a large amount of text, and the author is prone to repeating himself.  This would make a better reader to go along with Core 6, than a read-aloud for Core 1, so I plan to have my children redo it then.

Zacarayah, age 4.5

 

OK, a year ago, I was all worried about my 4 year old. He was 3.5 then. His vocabulary was behind, he had no interest in reading, and he seemed limited in his verbal skills.

Of course, compared to my other two children, he seemed so far behind.

So, I made myself relax and not stress out and not push him. I knew my oldest two children were reading by age 3.5, but that he was different. I wanted to push, but I made myself relax, reminding myself over and over again not to push, that he's only 3, for goodness sake, and there is nothing wrong with him, despite my inner fears and insecurities.

So, I just let him be a little boy.

And today, I got this lovely little note, and I just had to share here.

I'm so proud of him.

Translation, for those who can't read 4 year old:

Mom,

I Love

You Very

A Lot

So Much

Zacarayah.

OK, so we have to worry on letter R formation, spelling, spacing, and especially how to spell his name.  But, for today, this little note is simply enough, and I just had to share.

I'm so glad I let him come along in his own time.

And I could have saved myself all that worry and stress, which obviously was for nothing.

Core 1 Supplement Week 9: Ancient Egyptian Jobs by John Malam

Rating 5/10 for this age group, 7.5/10 for older children, or to go along with Core 6.


There is a lot of text in this book, and it is definitely geared toward children older than the 6/7 year old age group, but the information covers many of the various and assorted jobs in Egypt and how they each impact Egyptian life overall.  With 2 page spreads for each job, jobs covered include everything from Viziers to fishermen to bakers and pyramid builders. 

Core 1 Supplement Week 9: The Everyday Life of An Egyptian Craftsman by Giobanni Caselli

Rating: 8/10

This book is great for an auditory learner who likes lots of details.  If your child is a visual learner or not so keen on details, I don't think it would work as well.

It follows a boy whose father is being promoted from Temple Draftsman to scribe, and his life, including a festival, a party, and school.  It contains many, many facts of Egyptian life, but it incorporates it into story format.  There is a larger amount of text, so it would work best with an older child.

But it does a good job of showing family life, including adoption, servants, clothing, food, and much more.

Core 1 Supplement: Week 11--Abu Ali: Three Tales of the Middle East by Dorothy O. Van Woerkom

Rating: 2/10

This book I added in as a SOTW recommended resource from Chapter 7 from the activity book.  However, after getting the book from the library, and looking it over, we decided not to use it.  They are early reader level stories.  The first story is about a man, Abu Ali, who went to town and bought 9 donkeys.  He kept losing one, and finally asked his friend where the last donkey was.  His friend told him he saw 10 donkeys, the 8 following him, the one he was riding (which he kept forgetting to count), and himself, Abu Ali, for not figuring it out.

The next two stories were also the same silly sort of story.  The second Abu Ali tries to prove he is stronger than his friends by staying outside in the cold all night, and his friends tell him he lost because he looked at a candle in a window, and that kept him warm, and he tried to trick them back by trying to cook a meal for them over a candle. 

The third story was about how he went to his friends house, tried to stuff extra food into his pockets by saying his jacket was hungry, so he wouldn't have to cook the next day. The next morning, while he was sleeping, another friend came by to pick up the jacket he had borrowed, and found the extra food and ate it.

Core 1 Supplement: Week 10--Tutankhamun by Demi

Rating: 8/10

An illustrated history of Tutankhamun, starting with Thutmose IV, his great-grandfather, and going on down to his successors, and describing how his name was changed from Tutankhaten when he was born to Tutakhamen after his father died, in an attempt to lead him away from the god his father worshiped..  This book describes a lot about the history of this king, with pictures that look like they might have been taken from some of the wall carvings on every page.  Only a paragraph or two of information are on each page, yet the history is thorough for this age group, offering glimpses into his life I've not yet seen in the other books we are using.

However, there is much discussion, as is necessary when describing the history, about the gods Amun and Aten, and their worship, but not too much detail is given.  There is one cartoon like illustration of a woman who is topless, but not a lot of detail, so there is that to be aware of, but she is not the main focus of the picture.

Core 1 Supplement: Ancient Egypt--100 Things You Should Know About Ancient Egypt by Jane Walker

Rating: 7/10

This book is full of little details about Egyptian life, and lots of illustrations on every page.  There are 5 quizzes throughout the book, pertaining mostly to what has been read.  Also included are "I don't believe it" sections, which have some unusual facts about Egypt, although not all of them are as unbelievable as they would make it sound.

This book is fun, but there are a few things that bothered me about it.  First of all, there is no order to the history, with King Narmer (Menes) being #100, who was the "first" ruler of Ancient Egypt, yet Cleopatra VII was #97, and the Great Pyramid is #25. 

Also, there were some things which I felt probably weren't important enough to make it onto a top 100 list of things to know about Ancient Egypt, while some key points were left out.

None of the crafts were of the type we could use.  They included Making a Death Mask, Making a Magic Eye Charm, and Making a Snake Game.

Overall, however, I liked this book, but wasn't overly impressed with it.

Extra Supplement Book: In the Belly of an Ox by Rebecca Bond

Rating: 8.5/10

I really liked this book.  Two men set out to become wildlife photographers using unconventional means, including hollowing out an ox.  These techniques helped them get closer to the wildlife and really photograph every bird in England in its nest in its natural habitat.  Based on the true story of Richard and Cherry Kearton.

Core 1 Week 9: I Am the Mummy Heb-Nefert by Eve Bunting

Rating 7/10

*IF* I were the type to like poetry, this book would probably rate higher.  So, for those who would like to try to add a poetry element to their ancient Egypt study, this would be the book I would pick.  The book has a darker tone to it, but still appropriate for many young children.  It is written from Heb-Nefert's point of view, and describes many of the things she might have seen or done during her life.  There is a section or so on how she died, and she left her body and watched them make a mummy out of her, and described the process, and watching people come to visit her as a mummy and look at her in the museum.  I am not entirely sure how I feel about that, so definitely a pre-read, but nothing so obvious that over-picky me would say to definitely drop the book.  The whole theme of the book is that looking at a mummy now may be ugly and scary, but once she was a queen and was beautiful, and her beauty has faded, but she feels the same inside.

Core 1 Week 10 Supplement: The Best Book of Mummies by Philip Steele

Rating: 7/10

Despite its name, it really isn't the best book of mummies I have seen.  Large font, interesting text, 32 pages.  However it summarizes much of the information found in other texts.  It does add a great visual addition to CHOW or SOTW, such as covering bodies with Natron and washing the body, however, so for those children who need a little more visual effect, this is a good resource to use.  Pictures are also large, so it's not completely cluttered.

Core 1 Week 9: Footsteps in Time: The Egyptians by Ruth Thompson

Rating 8/10

Very small book.  2 page spread of info, followed by a 2 page spread of a craft activity.  For those looking for just a couple nice, fairly simple craft tie-ins, this is a good resource.

Crafts include a riverboat made out of cardboard (different sort of design than I expected), collar necklace, model house, painted chest, writing with pictures, making a mummy, and scarab amulet.

The whole book is only 24 pages long.  If I were just looking for a couple cute crafts that don't require anything that you can't make with household items (no running to the store last-minute for feathers and two orange pipe cleaners), this is a good choice.

Core 1 Ancient Egypt: Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki

Rating 6/10

Outlining in simplistic terms the burial preparation process of mummification, with line drawings and simple pictures, it is enough information for a first/second grader.  I would prefer more detail and think a lot of things were left out, and I think the drawings could be a little more professionally done, but overall a good synopsis of parts of the mummification process.  It does show pictures of the Egyption gods with hieroglyphs at the beginning, and a brief sentence describing what each god stands for. 

If your child tends to get bogged down with too much information or you have a younger tag-along, I do think this is a good addition, it is written for younger children. 

Core 1 Supplement--Kingfisher Atlas of the Ancient World

Rating: 8/10

Despite it's name, this book is not really so much an atlas as a book that gives a brief summary of the ancient civilization, plus shows maps with major towns and rivers.  There is also some photography, but most of the maps are cartoonish type accurate drawings.   Each civilization takes up at least a 2 page spread, some take up 2 2-page spreads. 

First is a map of the entier ancient world, with major civilizations pointed out, and a timeline.  Next comes an introduction to how we know about the past.  The first towns is next.  Each major topic has a timeline along the side as well.  Each also has illustrations of where major monuments or items are located on the map.  For example, stonehenge and newgrange, or Solomon's Temple. 

Mesopotamia is the first civilization covered, followed by Ancient Egypt, Ancient Europe,The Indus Valley, Minoans and Myceneans, Peoples of the Mediterranean, Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Ancient Africa, Ancient India, Ancient China, North American Peoples, Central and South America, and Australia and Polynesia.

I like it, because it doesn't just include the most common civilaztions, but takes a more global approach.  Also, it is nice to have a map that is more kid-friendly than many ancient world maps.  This book would get a higher rating, except I don't feel it is completely necessary for the core.  However, if your child is into geography, or you like mapping along with your core, this is a fun resource to help find some of those ancient places.  Every page is full color and nicely done, with little blurbs of into here and there, but not Usborne-y in appearance.