Treasury of Egyptian Mythology

Starred review from September 30, 2013
In this excellent companion volume to Treasury of Greek Mythology, Napoli and Balit introduce a panoply of Egyptian gods, goddesses, and other characters, while placing them in the context of Egyptian history, culture, and social mores. Balit’s captivating illustrations mimic the decorative art styles of ancient Egyptians, with manicured lines, prominent use of gold, and detailed patterns. Napoli’s gripping and candid prose informs while offering the immediacy of a contemporary fantasy novel: “Wrath made Sekhmet blood-crazed. She was vengeance incarnate. Death seemed attracted to her.” Sidebars provide additional insights into the lives of ancient Egyptians and other topics, from a brief description of papyrus-making to the rights of Egyptian women under ancient law. These mythological beings emerge as fully formed characters through equally powerful storytelling and images. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from September 15, 2013
Napoli (Treasury of Greek Mythology, 2011) again challenges readers to regard the old gods in new ways. The author provocatively explores the thesis that ancient Egyptian worship could be considered monotheistic, considering how closely intertwined the culture's gods were in origins and natures. She introduces 17 major deities and a handful of minor ones in a mix of equally lively stories and exposition, beginning with Ra's self-creation from the unchanging ("Boring, really") waters of Nun. The divine council known as the Pesedjet convenes, and Usir (Osiris) is killed by Set but magically revived for one night with his beloved Aset (Isis). A final chapter introduces Imhotep, architect of the first pyramid, who was born human but later deified. Depicted in a flat, art-deco style but reminiscent of Leo and Diane Dillon's figures in gravitas and richness of color and detail, deities and earthly creatures lend visual dimension to the mystical, larger-than-life grandeur of the stories as well as reflecting their more human griefs, jealousies and joys. Reinforcing a sense of otherness, Napoli uses the Egyptian forms of names throughout, though they are paired to their more recognizable Greek equivalents in running footers. To shed light on the mortal Egyptians, she intersperses boxed cultural notes, as well as chapters on mummification and "The Great Nile." Sumptuous of format, magisterial of content, stimulating for heart and mind both. (map, timeline, gallery of deities, postscript discussion of sources, bibliography, index) (Mythology. 11-14)

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December 1, 2013

Gr 5 Up-Ra spits on the ground and a goddess springs forth. A devoted wife holds a flower so her husband may inhale the scent and a baby appears among the petals. A woman mourns and fertile farmland turns to dust. Prolific storyteller Napoli brings the ancient Egyptian gods to life for modern readers-their jealousies, passions, and grief are the driving forces in tales that explain creation, the seasons, the afterlife, and natural phenomena. Napoli's tone is swaying and intimate, earthy and incantatory, as if she were spinning tales aloud. "In the beginning...ah, many stories open that way." Sentences are fragmented, phrases are repeated, and wonderfully descriptive images are drawn from the physical world: tinkling jewelry, "thorns of anger," hot winds carrying grinding sand. Balit's glowing illustrations combine the flat, frontal style of ancient tomb paintings with flowing, graceful shapes. Curiously, the artist has chosen a very light skin tone for most of the Egyptians-both divine and human-in her paintings, with no explanation offered. Text pages are adorned with patterned borders, textured margins, and scattered stylized stars in gold. These effects, combined with stiff paper and a color palette drawn from semiprecious stones and metals, lend the book a weighty, sacramental quality. A lyrical retelling of the braided, interwoven, sometimes contradictory stories from the land of the Sphinx.-Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 Accomplished children's author Napoli has her finger on the pulse of what young people want to read, and Egypt, with its mummies, pharaohs, and pyramids, is a perennial favorite. Yet Egyptian mythology remains somewhat ignored, making the content of this book, while familiar, feel quite fresh. It begins with a brief introduction to the genesis of Egyptian culture and a primer on its glyphs and naming conventions. Creation stories and enmeshed tales of a panoply of gods are told in a highly stylized way. (An illustrated cast of characters in the back matter clarifies the confusing litany of deities.) Balit's Egyptian-styled illustrations are spectacular and given a proper sandstone-and-tile border. Egyptian mythology is not nearly as common as its Greek and Roman counterparts, but is every bit as engaging, lyrical, and reflective of the cultural beliefs of the civilization in which it finds its origins. This hefty compendium should offer something new for the most ardent mythology fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)