Reviews
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Written & Illustrated by: Ralph Masiello
Emerging on the fertile banks of the Nile River over five thousand years ago, ancient Egypt was a place of mummies and pharaohs, pyramids and temples—a place that sparks the imagination. Young artists can dive into the underworld with Anubis, jackal god of the dead; creep past a sentinel sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a falcon; bow down to the beautiful Queen Nefertiti; or give praise to the murdered god Osiris, all while learning to draw the symbols of the mysterious and ancient civilization of Egypt.
Step-by-step instructions help young artists create their own representations of this incredible culture, and annotations throughout the book provide a glimpse into the history and mythology of ancient Egypt. Bonus steps provide ways to customize drawings with historically accurate symbols and other details.
Recommended for ages 8-12 years.
Softcover, 48 pages. 8 1/2 x 11 inches.
Published by Charlesbridge.
"Inside a bright and attractive cover is a short introduction and a “Choose your tools” chart of drawing instruments. Then there are more than a dozen different Egyptian symbols and pictures for budding artists to replicate. Masiello uses the method made popular by Lee J. Ames’s “Draw 50…” series (Doubleday), starting with a basic shape and showing how details can be added one step at a time. He also includes extra suggestions for ambitious artists. Each finished picture is printed in full color and accompanied by a short paragraph that tells an interesting fact about the subject matter. Some of the drawings are quite complicated but they are broken down into manageable sections. For example, one spread shows how to draw the body of Isis, while the next shows how to draw the head. The complexity of some of the drawings may be intimidating to less-confident students, but most are doable for the target audience. Ting Morris’s Arts and Crafts of Ancient Egypt (Smart Apple Media, 2006) has a variety of craft ideas and more background information than this offering, but it does not focus on drawing. Masiello’s book is a great resource for ancient-civilizations units." ~ School Library Journal
"Step-by-step instructions for drawing Osiris, Anubis, Isis, and other gods as well as symbols and structures are accompanied by facts and full-color, finished products. Share this with teachers planning ancient civilzation units and budding Egyptologists and artists." ~ Curriculum Connections.
