Customer Reviews

The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Imagine you are a sailor on your way to work in the mines. You ship gets wrecked by a hugh wave in a storm. You are the only survivor. You float toward an island. Once you get on land the trees split and the earth trembles. A giant snake appears who demands to know how you got there. This is BAD!

When you are rescued four months later you have made a friend and you are rich. This is GOOD!

Based on a papyrus scroll from the 19th century B.C.E., this tale is illustrated with Egyptian designs from tombs and temples of the New Kingdom. There are hieroglyphs translating some of the story. The illustrator, Tamara Bower, includes explanations on the symbols she uses in the artwork and a detailed history of the Pharaoh's gold mines in Nubia and Punt.

Things both GOOD and BAD. This book is a MUST HAVE!

Egyptologists have long considered the fable of The Shipwrecked Sailor one of the most remarkable fairy tales to survive from the time of the pharaohs. Ms. Bower's original, vibrant illustrations, inspired by Egyptian wall paintings, truly bring this exciting adventure to life.

Tamara Bower's book, The Shipwrecked Sailor, provides delightful and instructive insight into the ancient Egyptian's imagination, as expressed in their literature and art. With hieroglyphs aptly translated by Melinda Hartwig, both children and adults will find this an entertaining, instructive, but above all beautiful book, a window on the Egyptian imagination that few other books of this genre can equal.

Based on a story found on an Egyptian scroll of hieroglyphs from the 19 century BC, this beautifully illustrated book tells the tale of a voyage on the Red Sea to a mysterious and enchanted land south of Egypt. With translated hieroglyphs in full color, and much useful information for teachers in the end notes. We have put this book on our Reading Circle list of recommended books for Ohio schools.

Tamara Bower has done an incredible amount of research to write and illustrate this tale of a shipwrecked soldier. An abosrbing story, complete with a translation of certain passages in heiroglyphs, is enhanced by rich illustrations. A must for any curious child.

I bought this book for 3 families with children last year for Christmas. All the kids love it; I'm told that one seven-year-old asks for it for his bedtime reading at least once a week. Highly recommended.

The book is magic! Ms. Bower's illustrations are gorgeous! I wish I'd had a book like this when I was a child.

I absolutely love this book. I am a VERY picky homeschooler and have tried many kids' books on Ancient Egypt, but this one is one of the best.

The story is a fairy tale, but a real one from Ancient Egypt, about a sailor who is shipwrecked on a mythical island. There he meets an empathetic serpent who befriends him and predicts that he will be rescued. When the sailor is finally rescued, he spreads the serpent's good name to the Pharaoh and shares the wealth of the island with him.

The plot is great, it is short and sweet--easy for any age to enjoy between preschooler and fifth grade. My kids were kind of surprised to see a NICE serpent in a story! They loved the sublesson about hieroglyphics, and it was great that the author included a map and backstory about the fairy tale. My older kids enjoyed reading those parts. My little kids asked for this story again and again, and we all appreciated the artwork each time.

If you're looking for a family friendly, age friendly, good piece of literature for Ancient Egypt, this is it. No objectionable sections, language, or political/religious stuff.