Ancient Egypt
The scale of ancient Egyptian history is overwhelming. Americans (North and South) wrestle with the consequences of five hundred years of invasion, conquest, and settlement. Europeans argue over what delineates different phases of their history (modern, the rise of the nation-state, phases of the Renaissance, medieval, post-Roman, and so on). Well, that gets you back only 1500 years. Classicists pride their discipline on another thousand years. Egyptians look on, bemused. They go back 6000 years without breathing hard. Ancient Egypt (a deep and long category, obviously) represents a civilization that still fascinates us. Think pharaohs, pyramids, mummies, hieroglyphs, the Sphinx, the Nile, "King Tut." Children and adults love such stuff. I debated with myself whether to be a purist on Ancient Egypt and end my listings with Alexander the Great's conquest and the great era of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but you would miss so much in those 275 years leading up to the pragmatic and unimaginative Romans building their empire on Egyptian grain. I wanted to include the Pharos lighthouse, Alexandria and its library, Cleopatra. So I did, and I will. This page, these offerings, like the rest of Whistlestop, will be carefully curated and vetted and supplemented as I find and list interesting items.
The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone: Key to Ancient Egypt
The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone: Key to Ancient Egypt
ALA Notable Children's Book
Library of Congress Children's Books
New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"
Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
About the Book
Decipher the history of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs with this enlightening account of the discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone. Packed with illustrations, engravings, and historical photographs, The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone is an informative yet accessible overview perfect for aspiring young Egyptologists, kids interested in archaeology, and students in grades 3 to 7.
This ALA Notable Children's Book also includes excerpts from the translated text of the Rosetta Stone and a bibliography with suggestions for further reading, making it an ideal starting point for Ancient Egyptian research and reports.
Supports the Common Core State Standards.
James Cross Giblin is the author of eighteen books for young readers, many of which have received awards and honors. Twelve of his titles, most recently Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero and When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS have been named Notable Children's Books by the American Library Association. In 1996 he received the Washington Post--Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction for his body of work. Mr. Giblin lives in New York City.