Tutankhamen's Gift [Hardcover]

Robert Sabuda (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Small and frail, Tutankhamen was an all but ignored member of the royal family of the great Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. At the school of the menoi, or tutors, he did not excel at physical activities with the other royal princes. Keeping to himself, he observed and admired the work of his father's craftsmen, who built glorious temples to Egypt's many gods. Someday he too would find a gift for those gods.

Then Amenhotep III died and the unpopular reign of Tutankhamen's brother ended in mystery. Who now would be pharaoh? Could it be a boy of only ten?

As he did with the life of Saint Valentine (Atheneum, 1992), Robert Sabuda combines simple text with artwork true to the historical period in which Tutankhamen lived.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As in Sabuda's Saint Valentine , this equally arresting five-color picture book appropriates the art of another culture to evoke a specific historical setting. Here, telling the story of the 14th-century, B.C., pharaoh, Sabuda uses painted, handmade Egyptian papyrus as the background for his art; a single cut, painted piece of black paper adhered to the papyrus forms each picture. Contrasting effectively with the rich black lines are luminescent orange, purple, blue, green and gold hues. The text, well suited to the target audience, explains how the quiet, diminutive youngest son of the pharaoh Amenhotep III often stopped to watch workers erecting the elaborate sandstone temples that his father had ordered built ("All this to please the gods and keep them happy!"). "Someday," Tutankhamen vows, "I too shall do something great to honor the gods"--and that day comes sooner than anyone expects. His brother (who had succeeded his father as pharaoh) dies suddenly when Tutankhamen is 10. Ascending the Egyptian throne, the boy rebuilds all the temples that his unpopular brother had destroyed, and he rules benevolently until his death nine years later. Sabuda neatly distills the history of a celebrated young ruler while offering a visual treat on each page. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-While not much is really known about Tutankhamen, his persona continues to intrigue young and old alike. Here is a book geared toward younger children about this fascinating figure. Imparting facts about Egyptian history, Sabuda creates a background world and then places the boy who would be king in it. Readers learn of customs such as the fact that only female members were included in ancient family portraits and that women in mourning threw dust in their hair when they wept. They read of temples built and then destroyed and of gods who became angry, abandoning their people. The uniqueness of this book, however, is in its extraordinary illustrations. Bold black framework cut from a single sheet of paper adheres to handmade Egyptian papyrus that has been brightly painted in dazzling early Egyptian designs. Cats, long worshiped by the Egyptians, are found on almost every page. Notes at the end of the book give additional facts about this ancient civilization and the discovery of Tut's tombs. For more information, try Piero Ventura and Gian P. Ceserani's In Search of Tutankhamen (Silver Burdett, 1985). But, for sheer beauty, Sabuda's book is a winner.
Dot Minzer, North Barrington School, Barrington, IL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689318189
• ISBN-13: 978-0689318184
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #962,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ROBERT SABUDA is the co-creator of the first book in this series, ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he is the force behind many stunning best-selling pop-up books, including America the Beautiful, Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey. MATTHEW REINHART is the co-creator of ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he has created many other award-winning pop-up books, including the Young Naturalist's series, The Ark, Animal Opposites, and Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Partial biography of King Tut--great story and artwork!, September 11, 2003

By 

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tutankhamen's Gift (Paperback)

The book opens when Tutankhamen was a very young and sickly child. The author explains that this youngest son attended school but was unable to participate in very physical games due to his fragility. While Tut walked to his school he admired the temples, appreciated the fine art work which glorified the numerous Egyptian Gods and his spirituality grew. In the beginning of the story, his father, Amenhotep III was Pharaoh. Upon the death of his father (which is not really dealt with or discussed enough),Tut's older brother, Amenhotep IV, took over the throne. Under his rule, he banned worship of all God's except for the Sun God. Temples and artwork were destroyed and Tut was upset about this, as it seems was most of Egypt. Soon he was assassinated and Tut took over at the age of 9 or 10. The focus of the story is that Tut then restored the right of the people to worship multiple Gods and work began to restore and rebuild temples to all of the Gods. Tut seems to have been appreciated for this and his gift to the people was this act. The story ends there, with Tut still alive, young, and ruling Egypt.

In the teacher's notes at the end of the book, it states that Tut was killed at the age of 19 or 20 from a severe head injury, which is speculated to be either from a hunting accident or an intentional assignation. So the story does not go as far as his death, but it is mentioned in the endnote.

Since most of what people know of King Tut was of the riches found in his tomb, this book gives a different perspective of the important thing that King Tut did for his people. I think children will enjoy reading of a child King, and they will like the storytelling being in the time frame of before his rule and during his rule.

The artwork is bold and bright. The swirls and bold lines remind me of stained glass windows. There is a lot to look at and the illustrations certainly held our interest.

My 6 year-old son enjoyed this story as an accompaniment to learning about Ancient Egypt. The story about a young boy that became King was a refreshing change from the usual spin and perspective found in most books, which can be dry or portraying Egyptians as just mummies and the idea that Egypt is just desert and pyramids.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Appallingly inaccurate!, March 23, 2007

By 

Elowen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tutankhamen's Gift (Paperback)

If I could give this book zero stars I would. This book came highly recommended as a great way to introduce Egyptian History to children. I was stunned to read the book only to find it was horridly inaccurate! While I realize this is supposed to be historical fiction, at least some attempt at historical accuracy should have been attempted. Not every parent has an interest or knowledge of Egyptian History so many wouldn't notice, but since this book is reccomended by at least two homeschool curricula, and parents expect the authors of those curricula to have at least passing knowledge of the history they are teaching, I think fair warning is needed.

According to this book, Tutankhamen was the son of Amenhotep III.
Amenhotep III was actually Tutankhamen's grandfather. Tutankhamen was the son of Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten. Not Amenhotep IV's younger brother as portrayed in the book. Also, Akhenaten didn't die after a short time as Pharaoh, he ruled for at least 17 years. About the only thing the book got correct was that Akhenaten did change the religion from poly-theism to mono-theism and that Egypt was returned to poly-theism after Tutankhamen became Pharaoh.

If you are looking to teach your children Egyptian History, and want accurate Egyptian History, skip this one.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faith Dungca: GREAT BIOGRAPHICAL PICTURE BOOK, August 2, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Tutankhamen's Gift (Paperback)

If you want to know about King Tutankamen's life and how he became king you have to read this wonderful picture book. This book will motivate you and inform you about King Tutankahmen.
In the teacher's notes at the end of the book, it states that Tut was killed at the age of 19 or 20 from a severe head injury, which is speculated to be either from a hunting accident or an intentional assignation. So the story does not go as far as his death, but it is mentioned in the endnote.

Since most of what people know of King Tut was of the riches found in his tomb, this book gives a different perspective of the important thing that King Tut did for his people. I think children will enjoy reading of a child King, and they will like the storytelling being in the time frame of before his rule and during his rule.

The artwork is bold and bright. There is a lot to look at and the illustrations certainly held my interest.