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Book Review
by May Kay
Radnich
THE ANCIENT EGYPT PACK
A three-dimensional celebration of
Egyptian mythology, culture, art,
life and the afterlife
by
Christos Kondeatis & Sara Maitland
Bulfinch Press
Little, Brown and Company
Boston-New York-Toronto-London
1996
Is it a book? Is it a box? It’s both!
Chris Kondeatis and Sara Maitland, along with the creative
folks at Bulfinch Press have come up with a marvelous ancient
Egyptian activity pack, more than just coloring books and
hieroglyphs, which will delight the child in all of us.
I received this marvelous gem as a holiday gift, from a dear
friend who knew that I had been smitten, ‘bitten by the scarab,’
after my first trip to Egypt in 1999.
This book, or pack, opens to reveal a lidded box on the left
side, tied with a satin ribbon, which, when opened displays a
shallow box containing the elements of the game Senmet, the
instructional book and the parts with which to construct the
funerary mask of Tut out of paper. This mask, by the way, is not
for the faint of heart. While appropriately labeled and numbered,
it nevertheless is a work of art, even in paper, and it’s
construction will leave you feeling as if you had indeed, created
the real thing!
The right hand side of the pack consists of pages, which are
highlighted by a variety of pop-ups (much like childhood greeting
cards) and models of various Egyptian treasures.
Want to see the three pyramids of the Giza Plateau in the blue
aura of morning light? Merely raise the door to the pop-up. How
about a pop-up of the Sphinx ... with his nose?? It’s
there. How about the Book of the Dead in miniature? You can fold
it out and have a look. My personal favorite is a model of the
sarcophagus of King Tut. Remembering the paper dolls of my
childhood (am I dating myself?), I eagerly opened the paper
sarcophagus, only to find Tut with his funerary mask. Slipping the
gold and lapis mask off of his mummy’s head, (and wishing that
my daughter’s Barbie and Ken dolls had Egyptologist outfits), I
then proceeded to "unfold" Tut’s wrappings, ultimately
revealing his mummy. Pretty cool.
The art in each element is based either on photographs of the
actual item, or in the case of the ancient temple of Karnak, very
realistic drawings. So realistic that, in fact, you feel as though
you have Tut’s mask in your hands, holding your completed
product.
Is this the most scholarly Egyptology item in the bookstore?
No, of course not. But it certainly is one of the most fun items I
have ever seen, with great appeal for older students and the child
in all of us.
So if you are stuck inside this winter, as I am, try the
Ancient Egypt Pack and you can bring your Egyptian fantasies to
‘life.’ |
