We're Sailing Down the Nile

by Laurie Krebs, Anne Wilson (Illustrator)

Overview

"An excellent example of narrative non-fiction for young children" — Prue Goodwin, School Librarian

Set sail along the mighty Nile River to experience the wonders of Egypt. The lilting, rhyming story text is followed by eleven pages full of educational information about ancient Egypt, gods and goddesses, a helpful map, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781846861949
Publisher:	Barefoot Books
Publication date:	03/01/2008
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	690,877
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Laurie Krebs combines her love of children's literature with her enthusiasm for traveling, to create her wonderful picture books that bring readers all around the world. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Bill.

Anne Wilson gains much of her inspiration and use of color from her travels. She has an MA in Illustration from St. Martin's College of Art, London and has been illustrating children's books for several years. She lives in Reading, England with her husband and daughters.

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent example of narrative non-fiction for young children" — Prue Goodwin, School Librarian

From the Publisher

Six smiling Egyptian children invite readers to accompany them on a sightseeing jaunt down the Nile River, depicted in vibrant, naïve-style collage artwork. The young guides stop at several Egyptian tourist attractions as they make their way from Aswan north to the Great Pyramids of Giza (a concluding map traces the journey). "Climb aboard the river boat! We're sailing down the Nile./ We'll reach the Valley of the Kings in just a little while." As in Off We Go to Mexicoand her other travelogues for youngsters, Krebs keeps the rhyming couplets simple and concise as she introduces a sampling of attractions. Wilson (The Great Race) sometimes zeroes in on just the children against ruddy-orange hues that paint the riverbank, as when they visit a temple along the Nile's edge. The aquamarine ribbon of river beautifully contrasts with the warmer hues of the land. The artist presents a variety of settings, from farmers toiling along the shores to Cairo's colorful skyline, and reinforces the role of the Nile as central to Egyptian life, past and present. A vignette of a different ancient god (Ra, Isis, etc.) appears in the upper right corner of each spread, an addition that seems somewhat out of place. In the back matter, young history buffs will find a brief chronicle of ancient Egypt, a rundown of its gods and their powers, maps, plus information on hieroglyphics, mummies and pyramids. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 3
As six children sail down the Nile River, they visit seven sites including the Valley of the Kings, Al-Faiyum Oasis, Cairo, and the Great Pyramid of Giza. The immensity of temple statues, the activity of the marketplace, and the difference between farmland and Cairo's skyline come alive in the printed collaged papers on painted backgrounds in naive style. The mediums and layout emphasize the warm colors of the Egyptian desert in contrast with the cool colors of the river, sky, and vegetation. Following the story, the destinations are highlighted on a map and described in two sentences each, leaving out important details. The author misses an opportunity to introduce the term "felucca" for the Egyptian sailboat and never states that the Nile is the world's longest river or explains why it flows north. Appended pages summarize the periods of ancient Egyptian history, social classes, mummies and pyramids, the mighty floods, and "Egyptian Scripts." Despite a spread devoted to ancient gods and goddesses, it never becomes clear why each page of the story includes a box featuring a god and his/her symbol. Despite some flaws in the overall package, the rhyming verses of the children's journey and the accompanying illustrations do create a simple introduction to Egyptian sites.
—Julie R. RanelliCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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