Mummies & Their Mysteries (Carolrhoda Photo Books) [Hardcover]

Charlotte Wilcox (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Carolrhoda Photo Books

Discusses mummies found around the world, including Peru, Denmark, and the Italian Alps, and explains how studying them provides clues to past ways of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Those with a taste for the morbid (the cover photo is a close-up of a boy's mummified face) will here find everything they always wanted to know about mummies but were afraid to ask. As Wilcox explains, cadavers--human and animal--from all over the world were embalmed, often as part of some religious practice, or were mummified inadvertently as part of a greater natural process; the study of these mummies yields invaluable information. The author covers a wide range of topics, from the origin of the word "mummy" to "How Bogs Make Mummies." She describes mummies in ancient Egypt as well as those found in the American Southwest, the Arctic and Western Europe. The narrative is punctuated with color photographs with intriguing captions as well as sidebars containing detailed information on such topics as "How to Make an Egyptian Mummy." Kids fascinated by mortal oddities (a la Ripley's) will love this well-researched and nicely designed book. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Mummies come from many locations besides Egypt, and this book explores some of the other places bodies have been preserved. Incan, Native American, and Alaskan mummies are shown, as well as frozen mummies, "bog" mummies, and those found in Italian catacombs. Wilcox elaborates on the practices various cultures have concerning these human remains and describes ancient Egyptian funeral rituals and mummification procedures. The full-color photos will draw young readers' eyes even more than the text, and the cover photo is a real attention grabber. Much of the material here also appears in Jim Putnam's Mummy (Knopf, 1993); that book has more information, which is conveyed in captioned illustrations; this one has a narrative text. Both are good-it's best left to readers to choose the format they prefer. Excellent for browsing and reference.
Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876147678
• ISBN-13: 978-0876147672
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,050,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In My Non-Fiction Top Ten List..., July 28, 2003

By 

Theatre Kidd "princessofmirkwood" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mummies & Their Mysteries (Photo Book) (Paperback)

This is to me, without a doubt, one of the best non-fiction book for kids ever created. It's a great book!

The pictures are wonderful- from a baby mammoth preserved for hundreds of thousands of years to the oldest mummy of a human being ever found (5000 years old!).

The facts are interesting, too- for instance, mummies are found all over the world, so long as the temperatures are either really dry or very cold.

It's short enough to keep kids reading, interesting enough to keep them looking, and informative enough to get them to learn... a must for any teacher or kid's library.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on real mummies I've seen!, July 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mummies & Their Mysteries (Photo Book) (Paperback)

Vivid color photographs, easy-to-understand descriptions of the mummification process (both natural and artificial), and a genuine respect for the dead of all cultures make this a must-read for kids who are interested in mummies. While photos of mummified children may frighten younger readers, my four year old daughter loves it and insists on it being read at bedtime! May be too scary or intense for sensitive kids, but for those interested, it's dynamite reading!