The mummy-makers of Egypt

Tamara Bower

Book - 2015

"A gorgeously illustrated story about a family of Egyptian embalmers that will enthrall kids with its mummy-making details and brilliantly painted pages."--Back cover.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Seven Stories Press [2015]
Language
English
Main Author
Tamara Bower (author)
Item Description
"A Triangle Square books for young readers edition."
Physical Description
40 pages : color illustrations ; 25 x 28 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (page 36).
ISBN
9781609806002
9781609806019
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Award-winning author and illustrator Bower reveals the process of Egyptian embalming in a colorful and informative manner. The narrative follows the death and embalming of Yuya, an official of the royal court whose tomb was discovered in 1905 near the Valley of the Kings. The text begins with the historical context of embalming in ancient Egypt, followed by a description of the soul's journey to and judgment at the court of Osiris. The majority of the content thereafter concerns the process of embalming in greater detail and burial. Bower's training in archaeological illustration is evident in the book's stylized figures, all painted in classical Egyptian form. Solid earth tones guide readers through the narrative, and many illustrations are beautifully rendered. In this uniquely Egyptian style, Bower depicts the journey into the afterlife, the embalming priests, the colorful funerary processions, and hieroglyphics. The text is just as hearty as the artwork, the embalming process detailed in a respectful manner. Bower explains the process without dumbing down or sanitizing the material, describing the priests' careful incisions and the removal of organs. The culture of embalming is also examined. For instance, readers learn that the priest who made the abdominal incision was a specialist. After this priest made the incision, he was, by tradition, cast out by the other attending priests (with a wink and a nod), because it was wrong to cut a human body. Bower appends a useful article discussing the discovery of Yuya and his wife Thuya's tomb. Much like David L. Weitzman's Pharaoh's Boat, this offering succeeds in illuminating a specific element of ancient Egyptian life. VERDICT An artful and informational book on a high-interest topic.-Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant Public Library, IA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

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 Yuyamaternal grandfather of Pharaoh Ankhnatenwho 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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.