Roberta Angeletti. Nefertari Princess of Egypt. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1998. 32 pp. $16.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-19-521507-6.
Reviewed by Alexandra O'Brien (University of Chicago)
Published on H-AfrTeach (April, 2000)
This colourful and visually appealing book is sure to engage the interest of any young reader. A young tourist, Anna, finds a pretty grey cat more appealing than the tour guide's talk as she spots it playing in the sun and decides to follow it. The cat takes her into the tomb of Queen Nefertari who explains to her many things about her tomb, including Egyptian writing and funerary beliefs, as well as her own burial. At the end of the book there is a three page chapter giving a brief introduction to many aspects of the culture of ancient Egypt.
The illustrations are attractive and the tomb of Nefertari is well rendered. Though this book does not contain very much information on ancient Egypt, it serves as a good introduction to the young reader. It is visually interesting and manages to convey important points about the ancient culture through Anna's encounter with Nefertari. Children will empathise with Anna's wandering away after the cat instead of staying to listen to the guide speaking. Some will be able to relate to her allergy to cats and her appreciation of them despite that. This book is recommended for ages 9-12 but I would suggest that it's appropriate for slightly younger readers (twelve year olds would certainly find this book too young for them).
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Alexandra O'Brien. Review of Angeletti, Roberta, Nefertari Princess of Egypt.
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