Egyptian Myths [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Morley (Author), Giovanni Casselli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Myths

This book features a beautifully illustrated collection of marvelous stories retold from classic legends and ancient mythology. The tales are lively, well-written versions that make the drama and excitement of each story accessible to children of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-A remarkably readable collection of 11 stories based on ancient temple inscriptions, hieroglyphic texts, and tomb paintings. Morley's introduction prepares readers for a journey through Egypt's land of myth. The creation tale of Ra, explanations of the moon's phases and of how mummies came to be, and the story of the first pyramid are just some of the stories included. Details of Egyptian life are carefully woven into the tales without becoming burdensome. The style is engaging, leading readers through deserts and mysterious waters. Each spread is bordered by decoratively painted Egyptian columns; tiny, boxed pictures of people appear at the top of each page. In addition, there is at least one full-color illustration per spread. One minor quibble-the Egyptians on these pages are surprisingly light skinned. This book contains many of the same stories found in Geraldine Harris's Gods and Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology (Peter Bedrick, 1992), but Morley's retellings are easier to read. The fresh, accessible storytelling style makes this a fine choice.
Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The bad news: Morley is vague about her sources and begins with a garbled story. The good news: the other 10 myths here are filled with magic, trickery, love, gore, treachery, mummies, journeys, and prophecies in various rousing combinations. From the love story of feckless Osiris and Isis, his strong, clever wife, to two tales about Prince Setna, these myths are every bit as compelling as those from better-known traditions. Caselli borrows motifs and ideas from ancient Egyptian art for his formal paintings, depicting with delicate lines and colors a cast of animal-headed gods and often frantic-looking humans. Pair this with Leonard Everett Fisher's shorter survey, Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (1997) to introduce children to the idea that the Greeks weren't the only ancient storytellers. John Peters

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 62 pages
• Publisher: Peter Bedrick; First Edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872265897
• ISBN-13: 978-0872265899
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, February 4, 2007

By 

A. Hopkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Egyptian Myths (Hardcover)

This book was a wonderful introduction to the Egyptian beleifs for our 8 year old. Morley tells the myths with style and simplicity. This book is truly intended for an older child, but we read it to him, and he was able to understand the more difficult story lines. As with all myths, the myths themselves are graphic and attempt to explain the unknown and this raised some great questions. Morley handled these difficult elements with grace and care. From the flooding of the nile to the afterlife, this book read one story at a time was a great addition to our ancient egypt unit study. The art work was colorful and pleasant (except for one rendering of a mummy that my son did not like), but the images of the gods were quite lovely.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the lot for a coherent, not overly complicated picture, March 23, 2010

By 

Misti A. Delaney (Ann Arbor, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Egyptian Myths (Gift Books) (Hardcover)

We rate this books tops for a coherent, not overly complex telling of Egyptian mythology. Unlike some of the books we've read, this one doesn't try to include every detail of every deity, making it a superb place to start. If your scholar takes an interest in Egyptian mythology, he or she will have a good basis on which to sort out the myriad complex details that so many other books include. Our scholar is six, and we read the stories together as a family ... we started after dinner, and he begged for 'just one more" until well past bedtime. Just what we look for in our educational materials!