Some of the pieces are small, and a child under the age of four should not be left unattended with it. The reading level for this book is ages 9-12. but with some help younger children can benefit from it as well, and everyone will have a great time participating.

The “Treasure Chest’s Ancient Egypt” Retails at about 19.95, and it is without a doubt worth every penny. In fact, I would call it a steal.

This book and its CD-ROM companion are a priceless tool. Inside you will find no information on Kemet, but more pictures than you might know what to do with. All 372 pictures are high quality, 600 dpi images, some of which include obscure Names. The clip art is copyright free and limitless in possibilities.  Examples are: printing out or photocopying an image, which can be used to trace designs for your shrine or other décor. The pictures print out at only a few inches, however the 600 dpi scans are easily resized for coloring book pages for kids. They even work brilliantly as web graphics, though they will need resizing for web use. The images as they come on the CD-ROM will be too large in both pixels and file size for reasonable web use. Some of the captions under the pictures may be wrong, and the majority of the pictures seem to be taken from Adolph Erman’s Life in Ancient Egypt. This book retails at $9.95 and it is the best $9.95 I have ever spent. The benefits of this book and CD-ROM make any drawbacks undetectable.

This kit has a lot of fun potential, and as long as it is taken with the notion that it is just for fun, then you will not be disappointed. However, the information in the book can be somewhat lacking.

The 24-page book is dedicated to all mummies, even naturally occurring. Only about 50% of the book’s content touches on Ancient Egyptian mummies, and what it does have on the Ancient Egyptians, I found, fell short. The inaccuracies are not drastic in nature but could be disruptive to a child's learning about Ancient Egypt. (Example: it would be easy for a child to learn that Wesir is the king of the dead, when this book states that Wesir is some sort of tour guide for the Duat. Conflicting information may cause confusion for kids making an honest effort to learn.) There is also a little bit of the "all Egyptians were silly superstitious simpletons" attitude running through it as well.

There is some graphic imagery in the book, showing not just Ancient Egyptian mummies, but shrunken heads and other mummies from around the world. A child who has nightmares or frightens easily is likely not a good reader for this book.

The redeeming qualities are the “make your own Mummy” kit. The sarcophagus-shaped box is decorated much like an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus. A model body is included for wrapping and cardboard amulets are included for the “mummification process.” Even his internal organs have a place, inside canopic jars. A cardboard cat mummy will provide your mummy with some company! There are a few little problems with the kit. The canopic jar lids are too heavy for the cardboard tube bodies and don’t hold up very well. The model body is the body of a man, while the funeral mask is the head of a woman.  The “curse of the Mummy” sticker to seal a sarcophagus might send the wrong message to young readers. Also, this kit has one use--once the mummy is made and sealed, there sin’t a lot for a kid to do with it. They can always open it and unwrap it and start the whole process again, but every time this is done the kit withstands more wear and tear. I think it is an okay book for kids, so long as it is taken with a grain of “natron.”

My kids say:
Andy- age 10: (his favorite) ” The mask, because then it hides the closed eyes when the mummies are dead.”*
Marc: - age 7: (his favorite) "The Cat mummy”*
Kevin- age 6: (his favorite) “The guts”*
Sadie- age 3:“The Brains (she means intestines) are really disgusting and cool.”

Things I liked: This book is illustrated with beautiful, soft, realistic paintings. I'd get it for that one thing, but the story isn't terrific. It's a sweet story about a temple cat who is bored with having everything his heart desires. When he wants to catch a fish, someone in the temple does it for him. When he wants to lay in the sun, someone in the temple puts him onto his luxurious bed. He just wants to be a cat!

Things I didn't like: The cat lives in the temple, and it's stated that the Egyptians are worshipping the cat as a CAT, not as a representative of a form of Netjer. I also didn't like the idea that the priests wouldn't let a cat just be a cat sometimes.

Overall: It's a good book! Cute, with a happy ending.

Overall: NOT recommended. Sorry. :(

This one has the whole original story in both English and hieroglyphs, side-by-side!  The illustrations are less traditional, but more interesting. It has an introduction and some history in the front of the book, which could be intimidating for younger kids, but it's got a lot of interesting info! So, as far as stars go, it gets 5 stars because it has the whole, original text! :) (So call me a traditionalist.)  

Review by Senyt-menu
Senyt-menu's Rating: 2-½ stars

Having read Ms. McGraw’s The Golden Goblet and thoroughly enjoyed it, I anticipated her Mara, Daughter of the Nile would be of the same quality: the lush descriptions of everyday Egypt along with real, colorful characters and a sympathetic protagonist. Unfortunately, it was not. Now, the descriptions were still quite good; Ms. McGraw has a talent that transports the reader into her scenes, and it’s obvious that she has done quite a bit of research into how the ancient Egyptians - nobles and commoners alike - lived their lives. There are interesting excerpts and interpretations of folk charms and the literature of the period. References to the Names and other aspects of our religion are presented in a neutral format, and do not appear to be negative in any way.

The protagonist and heroine, the exotic Mara, is a blue-eyed, black-haired slave girl in Menfe. Her resourcefulness and cunning is witnessed and admired by a handsome, young Egyptian nobleman, Sheftu (whose nobility remains incognito for most of the novel), and he recruits her to do some spy work for him in his efforts to help Thutmose wrest the throne from Hatshepsut. As they conduct their underground activities, Mara and Sheftu’s relationship begins to acquire a more personal nature, and they endure the typical ups and downs of a budding romance in the charming, old-fashioned genre of the era in which it was written. Danger abounds in many situations, but in the end Hatshepsut is overthrown, and Mara and Sheftu pledge their love and lives to each other.

Frankly, I thought Mara was a brat. I’m sure the author intended her sauciness to be intriguing and clever, but I found it to be just plain annoying. Sheftu was the same in the opposite: cold and remote, but prone to stupid outbursts of emotion that seemed incongruous with his character. I would speculate that Ms. McGraw was trying to portray him as the alluring yet unattainable love interest, but I found him to be totally unappealing in this respect.

But perhaps the most prominent reason that I couldn’t recommend this book, is how it portrays Hatshepsut as the all-time Wicked Stepmother. She is described as a calculatingly evil ruler who has no genuine concern for Kemet or its citizens, depleting resources and stripping her army in order to build lavish monuments to herself. She is also seen as a usurper to the throne, with Thutmose as its “rightful” occupant. In speaking with the Nisut (AUS) on this matter, She informed me that it was most probably a gross historical inaccuracy to describe Hatshepsut in this manner. Hatshepsut was the logical ruler in line to succeed, both in lineage and political expertise; Thutmose was not. But there were those who felt otherwise and painted a black picture of her. It is a well-known fact that many of her monuments and pictoral representations were defaced after her reign, most likely by Thutmose and those who felt it was wrong for a woman to be Nisut.

In conclusion, Mara, Daughter of the Nile was an interesting read from an artistic point of view; Ms. McGraw is a good writer. However, in her research of the historical Hatshepsut, she appears to side with those who demonized her. Rating: Two and a half stars.  

Lise Manniche is a familiar name to most people who study Ancient Kemet. Her books give good solid information on everything from to herbs to cosmetics and I was really looking forward to reading her children’s story.

Her story is based on a myth of a prince who is divined by the Seven Het-herts and is told he will meet a tragic fate. The story follows the young prince's adventures in foreign lands where he falls in love.

The problems with this book are that it is very long winded, very wordy and it may be very difficult for children of younger ages, learning disabilities or attention disorders to keep their interest. (My kids could barely sit through the book.) I like the fact that she made an attempt to keep it as close to the original myth as possible but am afraid in doing so she is losing some readers. I would not recommend that new readers read this book on their own; there are a lot of words and many of them are large. The artwork is good and replicates the Amarna style but was not really eye catching to my children, despite its bright colors. I think this book would be better suited for an older child, around the age of 10.

Another problem with this book is Lise Manniche actually changes the ending of the book. This story was not supposed to end happily. The author felt that she had to give it a happy ending (which is understandable as it is for children) and she does so by using a version of Plutarch's Legend of Wesir, including the Greek-influenced dismemberment story (which is not shown in pictures). The story actually ends with a snippet of creation myth, too, tying together a happy ending for a prince who in the original story traveled West.

The back of the book holds an explanation by the author, which I was grateful for. It enabled me to understand the author’s motivations, as she backed up every artistic license with theory or fact. However, even with the explanation, I found this book to be kind of boring.

I gave it three stars for the translation and respect for most Kemetic things within.  

Review by Djedetmiwesir
Djedet’s Rating: 4½ stars.

Of all the children’s books I have read so far on Ancient Kemet, this one far and away is my favorite. The “Star Bearer” is fairly easily explained by just looking at the cover. The story is basically “a creation myth from Ancient Egypt.” Amongst the first few pages of the book is a disclaimer that makes note of how many different creation myths there were in Ancient Kemet, which I thought was a nice respect to the other Names that do not get mentioned in the book.

Dianne Hofmeyr is an author who has made a career at making religious stories from many faiths understandable for children. I have not been able to read any of her other work, but I am quite glad I got the chance to read this one. She did a brilliant job!

From the Nun, to Wesir taking the throne, this story explains abstract creation myths in terms even small children can understand, aided by beautiful illustrations that children can relate to. The illustrations are filled with so much passion, tenderness and emotion, showing Nut not just as the night sky but also as a loving mother to Her five children and every picture where Geb gazes up into the stars in adoration of His wife.   This particular creation story is that of Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut, as well as Geb and Nut’s five children.

Even the moments of darkness through the creation myth (that Kemetic Orthodoxy parents will no doubt be familiar with) are dealt with in a very gentle manner. Heavy subject matter and confusing subjects such as the brother-sister relationships of many of the Names are at times not addressed. In this case, I think the avoidance to address these concepts is wise. Children should not have to struggle with any of the information found inside.

Review by Djedetmiwesir
Djedet's Rating: 3 stars

The Gift of the Nile tells a myth that adults will be familiar with in a child-friendly format. For this book the myth is set in the time of Sneferu’s reign. It follows the life of a young girl named Mutemwia, who is sent to Sneferu’s court. She lives a very full life in the home of the Nisut, and develops a close friendship with him. However an inevitable homesickness sets in for Mutemwia, causing some harsh feelings between the two friends .The myth begins to familiarize when it is decided that a boat trip down the Nile should be planned to entertain the Nisut, with several ladies rowing and his Personal Magician following along.

This is a nice story, and the artwork is charming. However, it is written in a format that is very difficult for small or learning-disabled children to read and understand. It reads almost as obscurely as Ancient Kemetic translated literally to English. There were a lot of artistic licenses taken, with a page at the back that explains things done in the book. What is unfortunate is some of the information possessed by the author is just a little bit off. There is a place in the book where Sneferu gets his feelings hurt and exercises his control over Mutemwia, keeping her from leaving his court. While this is done very gently, I think it is a little harmful to a reputation we are already trying to disprove (the reputation of the Ancients keeping so many slaves). I would recommend this book to parents that are willing to read with their child, so they can take a moment to correct small inaccuracies and explain some of the confusing sentence structures.

On the upside, every time Sneferu was addressed, members of his court threw in something similar to AUS. I thought that was a nice touch.

Three stars for art work and subject matter. I would have given it more if it was just a bit more accurate and the writing style was aimed at children.

Review by Djedetmiwesir
Djedet's rating: 4 stars.

The author's reputation for taking a respectful, accurate approach when writing should be intact after reading this book. It is a long book, but there are so many descriptive pictures and processes, my kids could barely wait to get to the next page. No themes of horror or overly-scientific curiosity are taken with this book. It just explains very simply, step-by-step, the physical and spiritual process of mummification. It gives explanations of the Names that one meets during Judgment. It also gives pictures and example of how tombs were designed and why they were built the way they were.

The only downside to this book is that there were a couple of places with minimal explanations of more complex concepts (such as Ba and Ka) that were not given enough attention. However, given how complex those concepts are to adults, they are most certainly forgiven. This is another book that will be making my book shelf.