The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs

From School Library Journal Grade 1-5-Children fascinated by ancient Egypt and hieroglyphs should enjoy this retelling based on a tale found on an ancient papyrus scroll from the 19th century B.C.E. The sole survivor of a shipwreck relates being washed up on the shore of a paradisiacal "Island of the Soul" inhabited only by a huge serpent. As the sailor and serpent become friends, the creature tells how he lost his family and predicts the man's rescue, after which the island "will disappear forever under the waves, but it will always be with you, for it lives in your heart." The story, with its mystical snake and mysterious island, will hold readers' interest. The book is most successful, however, as a peek into ancient Egyptian folklore, art, and language. Bower's captivating pictures illustrate the story in the style of ancient Egyptian artists, utilizing vivid earth tones, blues, greens, and reds to depict a world that seems orderly even as a ship is overturned and its sailors drown. Hieroglyphic representations of highlighted phrases with their phonetic Egyptian translations appear on most pages of text. Five pages at the end give fascinating background. Pair this tale with Eric Kimmel's Onions and Garlic (Holiday, 1996) in a shipwreck-survivors storytime for school-aged children.