Pyramids and Mummies
Grade 4–6—Though removable sets of character cards (for major gods) and paper "amulets" guarantee that this look at the ancient Egyptian take on death, burial, and the afterlife won't survive intact for long, it's likely to be a hot item while it lasts. Nearly every spread between the triangular (yes, triangular), gold-foil-decked covers features a flap, pocket, or pop-up, and the illustrations are an alluring mix of gold, images from ancient walls, cutaway views, and dried-out bodies. Almost hidden beneath all the visual glamour is a better-than-average text that begins with the death(s) of Osiris, ends with a game of "Asps and Ladders," and in between touches on the preparation of mummies, the history and purposes of Egyptian pyramids, animal mummies, sphinxes, King Tut, and other related topics. All in all, an ephemeral but artfully designed showstopper.—John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.