Book Review: Famous Figures of Ancient Egypt by Cathy Diez-Luckie

Famous Figures of Ancient Egypt
written and illustrated by Cathy Diez-Luckie
Figures in Motion, ©2009
Interest Level: 7 to 10

Readers can select from among the group of 19 men and an elephant (Hannibal’s elephant), to create puppets of historic figures. You’ll find emperors, conquerors, and philosophers. These are the great men of Ancient Egypt, Greece, China, Rome, and Jerusalem. There is a two-paragraph biography on each person at the front of the book, followed by two pages of the character the reader needs to build. 

I love books that bring history (0r reading) to life. When I saw Famous Figures, I was instantly captivated by the idea of creating puppets of historical figures and allowing the kids to role play as a learning process. This book covers the globe (ancient as it was) and balances disciplines (philosophers and conquerors) and fame (Alexander the Great and a Greek Hoplite). Cut the pieces out and connect them with mini-brads, fasteners, or 1/8-inch eyelets. Once the figure is assembled, kids can “play out the real stories of history or make up their own and travel through time.”

• This is a creative book that offers a way to reinforce learning in a meaningful way.
• There is a set of pre-colored pieces for those who aren’t artistic; and a set of coloring book-styled pieces for those who want to create originals.
• The pages are cardstock quality paper, giving them some durability and sturdiness.
• I would definitely recommend it, even for home use. It is a great way for you to play with your kids and learn together.
• There isn’t a lot of background about on the characters. One reviewer calls is a “supplemental activity book,” yet it would be ideal for an audience that has not yet learned ancient history (i.e., elementary students).

This isn’t a book that you’re likely going to find in your local library because the pages are perforated. If you know kids who learn best with hands-on activities, this is a must have.

Last but not least, Diez-Luckie has done a fabulous job with the front material, clearly explaining what the book has to offer each audience (children, adults, museums, and historical re-enactors).

If you like books like this, you might like

•  See Inside Ancient Rome, an Usborne lift-the-flap book by Katie Daynes
• Elizabeth I, the People’s Queen: Her Life and Times in 21 Activities by Kerrie Logan  Hollihan
• Revolutionary War (Battle Box series) by Brown Reference Group

Do you have favorite books that bring learning to life for kids? We’d love to hear about them.

Discover Hands-On Learning

My kids are interested in Presidents (particularly my 3 year old right now) and with President’s Day earlier this week, I thought it was a great time to have a little fun with Presidents.

I like to put together Discovery baskets to help build my kids’ background knowledge about topics.  Discovery baskets are baskets (buckets, tubs, etc.) that are filled with items that provide a hands-on experience and books related to a topic.  My 3 year old wanted to learn more about Abraham Lincoln, so I filled our Discovery Basket with two pictures of the Lincoln Memorial, a picture of his family’s log cabin, a few pennies, and some Lincoln logs.  Then we explored.

After exploration, we discussed what we knew about Abraham Lincoln (he’s on the penny) and what was new to us (he lived in a log cabin – what’s a log cabin?).  Then, I read aloud Abe’s Fish by Jen Bryant about Abe Lincoln’s childhood.  I chose this book because I tied it into another activity after we read.  My daughter enjoyed the book, but it is probably more appropriate for the 5 and up crowd.

I tied in an activity I found on No Time for Flashcards – a fishing game.  Abe Lincoln goes fishing in the story to catch dinner for his family.  Allie created the fishing game to practice fishing for letters.  My daughter knows her letters already, so I changed it a bit. . . we went fishing for letter pairs.  She had to match the upper case letter with the lower case letter – we are still working on recognizing lower case letters.  I think this game can be adapted to sight words as well.

This seems like a lot for a three year old, but we did all of this in about twenty minutes.  She has a little more knowledge of Abraham Lincoln and we spent some quality time just talking.  Sometimes, that’s all we need. . .

Other books to consider:

A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln by David A. Adler

Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick

Abe Lincoln’s Hat by Martha Brenner

**Note: Typically, I include a mixture of nonfiction and fiction books in my Discovery Baskets, but I wanted to keep this activity short and focused.**

Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing.  In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.  She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families.  Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com