Gr. 4^-6, younger for reading aloud. The bad news: Morley is vague about her sources and begins with a garbled story. The good news: the other 10 myths here are filled with magic, trickery, love, gore, treachery, mummies, journeys, and prophecies in various rousing combinations. From the love story of feckless Osiris and Isis, his strong, clever wife, to two tales about Prince Setna, these myths are every bit as compelling as those from better-known traditions. Caselli borrows motifs and ideas from ancient Egyptian art for his formal paintings, depicting with delicate lines and colors a cast of animal-headed gods and often frantic-looking humans. Pair this with Leonard Everett Fisher's shorter survey, Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (1997) to introduce children to the idea that the Greeks weren't the only ancient storytellers. --John Peters

Gr 4-6-A remarkably readable collection of 11 stories based on ancient temple inscriptions, hieroglyphic texts, and tomb paintings. Morley's introduction prepares readers for a journey through Egypt's land of myth. The creation tale of Ra, explanations of the moon's phases and of how mummies came to be, and the story of the first pyramid are just some of the stories included. Details of Egyptian life are carefully woven into the tales without becoming burdensome. The style is engaging, leading readers through deserts and mysterious waters. Each spread is bordered by decoratively painted Egyptian columns; tiny, boxed pictures of people appear at the top of each page. In addition, there is at least one full-color illustration per spread. One minor quibble-the Egyptians on these pages are surprisingly light skinned. This book contains many of the same stories found in Geraldine Harris's Gods and Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology (Peter Bedrick, 1992), but Morley's retellings are easier to read. The fresh, accessible storytelling style makes this a fine choice.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Eleven myths about the creation of the world, the gods, and humankind, as well as the battle between good and evil, are elegantly retold in this volume. The illustrations, bordered with decorative columns, have strong lines and a pleasing symmetry. A helpful list of People and Place in Egyptian Myths is appended, but no source notes are included. Ind. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.