Since it is a picture book, the beautiful drawings more
than fulfill the promise of a great story of Egypt well told both through
the words and images. It will serve as a wonderful introduction to books
on ancient Egypt for the reluctant reader as well as any teacher wishing
to initiate children to the concepts of archaeology, good storytelling and
ancient art.

Zekmet breathes life into the Pharoah Khafre and his architect, Ho-tep, of eternal pyramid fame. Two modern scribes engage us with an answer to the riddle of the sphinx's creation. We experience the lifestyle of a stone carver whose talents and cleverness earn him upward mobility. Sumptous illustrations are more than Egyptology correct; they convey the ancient essence in creative vistas with the visual lyrics of an passionate artist. The borders of hieroglyphs recap parts of the story in hieroglyphic phrases, much like ancient story telling. Yet columns and freizes dramatically marry the ancient two dimensional designs with the effect of diorama depth. It's scroll-like. It's sculpture-like. From the inside covers, with their fascinating pictorial glossary of the ancient text, to the intriguing tale, the more you look, the more you see. This story about talent is a hall of mirrors.

Ostensibly for youngsters, this work of art will remain in my own library as I give other copies for gifts.