Secrets of the Sphinx

Secrets of the Sphinx

Written by: James Cross Giblin

Illustrated by: Bagram Ibatoulline

Scholastic Press, 2004

48 pages

Picture Book: Non-Fiction

            I chose this book because anything about Egypt is fascinating. Most children that I know are very curious about pyramids, mummies, and anything that has to do with Egypt. This book tells the secrets of the Great Sphinx of Giza. The reader learns secrets about how the Sphinx was made, who the Sphinx represents, and much more. This book also talks about famous artifacts and other famous monuments.

            The illustrator of this book is Bagram Ibatoulline. Bagram used gouache and watercolor to create these illustrations. Each illustration is realistic and extremely detailed. Most of the illustrations look like photographs, but they are hand drawn. Bagram uses soft colors to illustrate the desert. Yellows and oranges are used throughout the entire book.

            This book is appropriate for 9-12 year olds. I would use this book in a 5^th grade classroom. I would use this book for a history lesson. I would read this book to my students as an introduction to the Great Sphinx of Giza. I would also use this book as an introduction to a math lesson. I would read this book to my 5^th graders and discuss the meticulous measuring the Egyptians did when building the Great Sphinx of Giza. I would begin a lesson on rulers and measuring area. I might also use this book for a creative writing lesson. I would read this book and then prompt my students to write by saying, “If someone were to make a monument of you, what would it look like?” This book has won the Orbis Pictus Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.