BOOKS FOR YOUR BUDDING ARCHITECT, INVENTOR, OR ENGINEER...

Yesterday, while at my friend's house, I was directed by her young cartographer son, Jude, to look on her refrigerator door at an amazing hand drawn aerial "map" of their house.  His mom told me that he had also drawn a map of the whole floor plan of Smart and Final (a huge grocery store.)  They plan on photo-copying the artwork and giving it to the store manager!  

I love supportive parents like my friend, who encourage and applaud their kids' talents and interests!  Books are also a great way to help ignite these sparks of interest (or fuel the fire that may already be there!)   If you have a little engineer or architect in-the-making, you should check out some of these great CHILDREN'S books on PHYSICS, TECHNOLOGY, INVENTIONS, AND ENGINEERING:

The Lever and The Pulley by Hal Hellman (ages 4-8)

Mickey’s Magnet by Franklyn M. Branley and Eleanor K. Vaughan.  One of my kids' favorites!  (ages 4- 8)

How Do you Lift a Lion? by Robert E. Wells (ages 4-8)

Wheels At Work by Bernie Zubrowski (ages 9-12)

Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane.  This is a reprint of an actual early-19th-century diary  of a 15-year-old boy.  The concise notebook is accompanied by Sloane's 72 drawings and explanatory narrative. (ages 10 and up)

Robots, What They Are, What They Do by Fredericka Berger (ages 4-8)

The Phone Book:  Instant Communication from Smoke Signals to Satellites and Beyond by Elizabeth MacLeod  (ages 8-12)

The New Way Things Work by David Macauley (And his others: City, Castle, Cathedral, Pyramid, Underground, Ship, Mill, Building Big.  (ages 6 and up - young children will love just looking at the pictures; the story/text is written more for ages 10 and up).

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (ages 4-8)

Amazing Impossible Erie Canal by Cheryl Harness (ages 8 and up)

Eureka! It’s an Automobile by Jeanne Bendick  (ages 8 and up)  Out of print - look at the library for it.

Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick.   Another of our family's favorites. (ages 9-12)

Rocket: How a Toy Launched the Space Age by Richard Maurer.  (ages 9-12)

Story of Inventions by Frank P. Bachman (ages 10 and up)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham.  Fascinating biography of Nathaniel Bowditch, an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard.  (ages 10 and up)

BOOKS ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT

Maybe it's the fact that today it was 112 degrees outside (here in Southern California) that got me thinking about Ancient Egypt.  Not sure; but whatever the reason, today I'm blogging about some great books for kids out there that are centered around all things Egyptian!


PICTURE BOOKS:
The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo, illustrations by Ruth Heller.  An inventive re-telling of the classic tale.  In this version, Cinderella is "Rhodopis", a Greek Slave girl in ancient Egypt. (ages 4-8)

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola.  "On their journey down the Nile, dePaola's duo transport readers from the mummified past to a living present. Time distinction is abolished as the Nile Queen, the Grand Hotel, cars and umbrellas, sarcophaguses, sacred jewels and sphinxes are all part of the setting for an ancient story that still bears retelling. Shades of blue and gold strengthen the mood of the mystery and adventure." (Publisher's Weekly).  Full of fun and humor! (ages 4-8)

Pyramid by David Macaulay.  Macaulay's detailed pen-and ink illustrations frame his fictional story of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who commissions a pyramid to be built for him.  The book brings a mix of the architecture, history, and mysticism of ancient Egypt and will engross children and adults alike.  (ages 8 and up)



CHAPTER BOOKS:
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  To gain her freedom, Mara, a slave girl, plays the dangerous role of double spy for two arch enemies in the royal palace of Thebes. Exciting story of adventure, romance and intrigue in Ancient Egypt, in the days when Queen Hatshepsut ruled. (ages 8 and up)

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  Ranofer is an orphan in ancient Egypt who desires nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps as a goldsmith, but must thwart the plottings of his evil brother, Gebu. A story of mystery and suspense, in which Egyptian life from impoverished hovel to magnificent palace is dramatically portrayed. (ages 8 and up)



NONFICTION:
Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki.  My daughter was always intrigued by this detailed and wonderfully illustrated book about the 70-day process used by Egyptians of long ago, as they prepared and wrapped their dead to last forever.  (ages 8 and up)
 
Tut's Mummy:  Lost...and Found (Step-Into-Reading) by Judy Donnelly.  The author starts with simple details about how King Tutankhamen was buried and the ancient Eygyptians beliefs about death.  She then moves ahead to Howard Carter's five-year search (in the 1800's) for Egyptian treasure, which resulted in his discovery of the young king's tomb. (ages 4-8)
 
Exploring the Past:  Ancient Egypt by George Hart, illustrations by Stephen Biesty.  This brief yet information packed, over-sized book is a beautifully illustrated, exciting exploration of the world of Ancient Egypt. (ages 8-12)