Egypt Magnified

Egypt Magnified is a a masterful collaboration between author David Long and illustrator Harry Bloom. The subtitle is "See History Up Close on this Search-and-Find Adventure."  The cover itself hints at the visual adventures awaiting the reader inside.

Each double page spread offers a birds eye view of a particular aspect of Egyptian life such as growing crops, building a house, a wedding, or building pyramids. Famous rulers are also included such as Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Imhotep, Cleopatra. Famous landmarks such as the Great Pyramid and the Library at Alexandria are also featured.


Readers can read an introduction to the topic covered on each double page spread. This offers a great overview of the page. In addition, there are 10 items to find within the scene. Each of the ten items also includes a bit more information on that aspect of the overall illustration. The wonderful thing is that the information is provided in small, kid-size pieces so that a great deal of learning takes place in a very painless fashion!

The book includes a magnifying glass to help with locating the items on each page. This is definitely a volume you will want to own in a physical form (digital will not do it justice).  I was very impressed with the breadth of information covered in such a palatable way--no dry, dusty history here!

At the end of the book, there is a thumbnail sketch of various scenes to test a child's memory. I liked the bit of humor in that children are reassured that they won't be mummified if they cannot recall the correct locations.  I like that the book includes information about hieroglyphics so children can experiment writing messages like the Ancient Egyptians.

The book closes out with a timeline and a glossary.  My only criticism of the book has to do with the timeline page. The  dates and pertinent information are written in rows from left to right but they have inserted arrows that make it look like you go back and forth to read (which would not be in chronological order).  I wish the arrows had just been left off the page as the dates are sufficient to show the order in which events occurred.

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Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Egypt Magnified from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.