Ancient Egyptians

September 1, 2007
Gr 4 Up-These two entries in a new series cover the daily lives, religions, societies, governments, and cultures of the ancient Egyptians and the Vikings. Brief biographies of notables such as Rameses the Great ("Egyptians") and Leif Erikson ("Vikings") are included, along with made-up "dudes" like Bjorn the Berserk (included to explain the infamous Viking warriors known as berserkers). Illustrated by a comic strip/animation artist, both books use a cartoon format. The lively, often irreverent texts, full of puns and slang, will engage young readers, though the small font used in many places makes them hard to read. Both volumes include explanations of their respective pantheons and information about writing systems-hieroglyphics in "Egyptians" and runes in "Vikings". Unfortunately, there is no bibliography. Still, Cando's expressive, brightly colored comic characters are sure to entice many a dude to pick these books up-don't expect them to stay on the shelves."Robin L. Gibson, Granville Parent Cooperative Preschool, OH"

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