Live Like An Ancient Egyptian

Live Like an Ancient Egyptian entices the reader to explore the richness of the perennially fascinating civilisation of Ancient Egypt through a clever collaboration of words and illustrations. Logically organised sections survey much well-worked material but it is heartening to see the way its presentation is nuanced. It is Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh, for example, who is picked out rather than the more obvious Rameses or Tutankhamun; misconceptions about slavery and serfdom are carefully addressed and clarified.

Digestible chunks of text by Claire Saunders are creatively illustrated by Ruth Hickson to deepen understanding. The timeline, for instance, helps the reader immediately to visualise how Cleopatra lived around two thousand years after the building of the pyramids and was as much Greek as Egyptian. The information is detailed (who knew so many types of bread were available?) but, apart from a short introductory paragraph, generally focuses on knowledge content rather than evidence.

Nevertheless, the authors are not afraid to admit that some things are not yet well understood - such as the way Egyptians ate their food. I also enjoyed the notes on cooking tiger nut cones, which explain how looking carefully at a 3,500 year old wall painting has enabled Egyptologists to come up with possible recipes.

The material is presented in different ways to round out the reader's experience. Diary entries, written from the perspective of Dedu, an ancient Egyptian boy, introduce a story element while activity spreads encourage the reader to have fun in a practical way, such as by making papyrus paper or mummifying an orange. Overall this is a useful addition to the range of books on the Egyptians and will appeal to a wide audience of children who prefer their reading factual.

* Reading Zone *

One of the probable myths I hold dear is that all children at some point go through either a ‘dinosaur’ or ‘ancient Egypt’ phase. For a small percentage, the latter is particularly prone to last a lifetime. Claire Saunder’s Live Like an Ancient Egyptian (part of a series of Live Like titles from Button Books) is a fun, colourful, and informative way to start that possible journey. The book is largely constructed of short paragraphs of information accompanied by a drawing, and our guide is Dedu a ten-year-old boy, who makes an unobtrusive appearance from time to time, and who is hoping to be a doctor like his father. The timeline from Predynastic Egypt (c. 5300-3100 BCE) to the death of Cleopatra VII (30 BC) is nicely simplified and presented, as are the principal locations along the Nile. The book makes a good stab at presenting everyday life in ancient Egypt rather than concentrating on kings and queens. A section on Egyptian writing interestingly introduces hieratic (the cursive form of hieroglyphs). The remaining pages are a lot of fun with activities interspersed with ‘information’ pages on, for example, ‘fashion’, ‘gods and temples’, death and the afterlife’, and ‘tombs and pyramids’. Making ‘papyrus’ paper may be fairly standard but making a wedjet (‘Eye of Horus’) amulet, mummifying an orange (something I may try) or baking ‘crocodile bread’ should be attractive. This is a book that may well fire the imaginations of, as well as inform, the target 7-11 year-old audience.

* The English Association *

A brilliant book all about the day in the life of an ancient Egyptian. This brilliant non fiction book combines bite sized facts and engaging illustrations to bring this ancient civilisation back to life.

* @father_teacher_reader *

This is a beautifully illustrated book that takes us on a fascinating journey back in time to find out what life was really like to live in Ancient Egypt & helping readers to uncover its rich history. Ancient Egypt has always been one of my favourite topics to teach and this book is going to make my life a lot easier to plan my lessons with the wealth of facts and activities scattered throughout. A teachers and home educator’s dream!

* @faeriesandfantasy *

Live Like… series [is] absolutely packed with information about these respective people - it is truly amazing how even thousands of years later we can glimpse into their lives and better understand their societies.

* @picturebookplaydate *

I love this series! It is back this time taking you back in time and showing you what it was like to live in ancient Egypt. It explores the pyramids, the River Nile, their milestone achievements as well as what the Egyptians ate, wore and which games they played. Highly recommend!

* @picturebookrecommendations *

Super series alert! Recommended for KS2 History. I just love these books. As well as being a great read for history lovers, they're perfect for the classroom - to support planning, to supplement learning and also to use as a core text within and alongside children's history lessons. As well as being packed with timelines and information, distilled brilliantly into core knowledge (and all the exciting bits children love,) there are also super engaging practical activities to try, recipes to bake and games to play to get a real flavour for the time period.

-- @mrsbrownsbookbox

We love this series so we were excited to read the latest one. This beautifully illustrated book helps readers to journey back in time to find out what it was really like to live in Ancient Egypt. The book has sections on family life, their beliefs, what they wore and what they ate, as well as their written language, customs and rituals. We always love the craft activities that are included in this series. In this book you can find out how to make papyrus paper as well as baking a loaf of Ancient Egyptian crocodile bread. There is a fictional character called Dedu who features throughout the book too describing his daily life in his Ancient Egyptian home. This is such an interesting book and makes a great topic resource book for school. Recommended for readers 7+.

* @family_book_club_ *

Take a fascinating journey back in time to find out what it was really like to live in #ancientEgypt. From the monumental pyramids to life along the mighty River Nile, uncover the secrets of Ancient Egypt's rich history and enduring legacy. It is interesting to learn about ancient #Egypt. The book goes into fun & interesting facts about pyramids, Egyptian society, family life, the jobs people had, their food, fashion, school & so much more. The book also includes a few crafts you can make & recipes to make delicious food. The information presented is easy to understand & perfectly outlines the life of an ancient Egyptian.

* @stylishmodernmotherho