Well-written, engaging narrative, bursting with detail on both Hatshepsut and the Egypt of her day. Includes supporting photographs of artifacts alongside the text and a timeline along the bottom of the pages. The layout was somewhat busy, but not enough to be overwhelming. There were a few two-page informational spreads, which were placed cleanly between sections so they did not disrupt the flow of the text. An informative and solid introduction to Egypt's princess who became a king.

Content considerations:

Artistic nudity (including an Egyptian painting of a birthing, p 11) ( )

good pictures. who knew there were female pharaohs! ( )

A colorful introduction to the female rulers os ancient Egypt, and how their lives impacted the rest of the population. There are sections on household, education, family life, government, etc. complemented with illustrations and other graphics. This can be used in elementry settings as well for anyone wantin quick information. ( )

Hatshepsut is an Eyptian princess who eventually became pharaoh. This children's book is pretty packed with information about her and about Egypt and ancient Egyptian life.Do people really enjoy reading things with interludes and sidebars? Because I always find it rather annoying, especially when they're plentiful. I guess I'm more of a linear reader.On top of that, it wasn't strictly chronological. Especially as there was a timeline running along the bottom of the pages. If you read everything on a particular page, you might be spoiled for something coming up in the main text a little later on. The timeline has her well-dead, while the main text is still talking about stuff she did as pharaoh.But apart from the frustrating format, there's some interesting, cool stuff in here. I know more about ancient Egypt than I did before.Though I wish we knew her years more accurately. At one point it says she's 30 when she becomes regent, and reined for 22 years (as pharaoh only, or including both her pharaoh and regent years?) And then when she died, she's anywhere from 35 to 55 years old. That a lot of conflictingness and vagueness. Adding to my frustration.The book also says 'king' a lot, when I would've preferred 'pharaoh'.But, anyway, Hatshepsut is interesting. ( )

As one might expect for a book published by National Geographic, this has LOTS of gorgeous pictures. It begins with general descriptions of Egyptian life, especially at court, to fill in what Hatshepsut's early life was probably like, then progresses to Hatshepsut as Queen and Pharaoh, and the failed attempts to erase her memory.

For the most part, it is very clearly and carefully written. I found the presentation balanced: the author doesn't fawn on Hatshepsut as a woman outdoing all men (although she was a very successful pharaoh), nor does she become overwrought about a woman seizing the crown (an act which is apparently far more upsetting to modern historians than to her subjects.) The author is careful to point out the many uncertainties of dates and events, without letting it bog down the narrative. There are all sorts of interesting little tidbits of information scattered throughout.

A fairly minor complaint: I find the layout somewhat odd. The timeline running across the bottom of the book doesn't match up to the text. I can see some of the problems that they faced, but they could certainly have done better. I don't know why the sidebar on the excavators was stuck between "Dress at Court" and "Egyptian Education"; it was a little jarring.

A somewhat more serious flaw is that there really isn't too much about her reign. There are a couple pages on the journey to the Land of Punt, one of her triumphs, and a good deal of information about her favorite, Senenmut, but not much else for what was presumably the most active 22 years of her life. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend it to adults who want a brief biography.

The book includes an index, glossary, bibliography and reference to a number of different websites. ( )