THE SECRETS OF TUTANKHAMUN: Egypt’s Boy King and His Incredible Tomb, by Patricia Cleveland-Peck and Isabel Greenberg, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, Aug. 21, 2018, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 8-10)
When I was 5, a touring exhibit of Ramses II came to one of our local universities. It’s been a long time since then, but I remember being fascinated. Twenty-ish years later, I was able to see the traveling Tutankhamun exhibit in Los Angeles.
I realize that not many people have the opportunity to see such things in person, which is why books like The Secrets of Tutankhamun: Egypt’s Boy King and His Incredible Tomb are so much fun.
Tutankhamun was born in a time of change. His father, Atakhenaten, instituted broad political and religious reform to Egypt, and his laws were controversial. By the time Tut turned nine, his whole family had died and he was named the youngest king Egypt had ever had. His rule was short and tumultuous, and around age nineteen, Tut died. More than three thousand years later, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist with a penchant for ancient history and a special skill for excavation in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, made a discovery that shocked the world: King Tut’s tomb, long ago assumed destroyed, not only survived but was fully intact. The treasures within gave a stunning and undisturbed perspective on ancient Egyptian culture and uncovered secrets that fascinated the world. —Synopsis provided by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
The Secrets of Tutankhamun is exactly the type of book I would have loved as a child and love now as an adult. There’s just the right balance of text and illustrations. One of the trickier things with a book like this, is making sure that the illustrations remain true to Egyptian art while conveying personality. Illustrator Isabel Greenberg has done exactly that.
Patricia Cleveland-Peck, too, has done a masterful job providing comprehensive text that’s engaging and accessible.
