Part graphic novel, part history lesson, part science fiction, Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt has it all and together it is a hit.
* Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
Learning about ancient civilizations is an important part of the educational process. It helps us understand where modern civilization and concepts came from and how things were done long ago. Unfortunately, it can be a dry topic to read about. Fortunately, Linda Bailey has revised an old series of books and the first to be updated and republished is Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt. The book is 60 pages long and chock full of information. My 7 year old read this multiple times and really enjoyed it. My 11 year old also thought it was pretty neat.
What makes this book different from other history books is that it creates a story of two twins and their little sister accidentally going into a book about Ancient Egypt and having to “read” and experience the entire book that they are in before they can leave. Each spread has wonderful illustrations by Bill Slavin showing the characters in Egypt experiencing and seeing life first hand. Then at the bottom of the page is the “book” that they are reading to give factual information.
This is an incredibly inventive way to learn about subjects that can be difficult to conceptualize. I look forward to seeing more of this series get reissued.
I challenge myself to review a nonfiction picture book every week as part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy. Check out Alyson’s site for a link-up of amazing nonfiction books!
I’m glad publishers are finding creative ways to engage readers into nonfiction.
I’m happy to know about this new re-write of the information. It looks great!
I didn’t realize it was a re-write until I started writing and wanted some additional info. I hope they do more!