James RumfordSeeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs (Rise and Shine)

This is a perfect "living book" to go along with an ancient Egypt homeschool curriculum. This story captured the imagination of all my kids (ages 4-11), and some of them went on to learn how to translate heiroglyphics themselves. Well illustrated, well paced, good flow to the story. Great addition to our home library!

Age Recommendation: 7-11; Children begin to get interested in informational books and past events around first or second grade. The main character is seven years old in the beginning of the novel, which makes it easy for a seven year old to relate to him. He grows to eleven, sixteen and then thirty throughout the book.Summary: Seeker of Knowledge: The Man who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs begins with a brief history lesson about the Egyptians. This is an informational picture book about Jean-Francois Champollion, the man who deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs and founded Egyptology. He was born in 1790, and with his brother's support he started studying Egypt. When Champollion was sixteen, and graduated from school, he was rejected from joining the scholars studying the Rosetta Stone. He was friendly with Napoleon, which ended up making his life difficult after Napoleon was defeated. In 1822, Champollion was sent a package from his friend in Egypt with the final clue he needed to solve the ancient riddle of the hieroglyphs. He almost killed himself from starvation and neglect while solving this final clue, but ended up being okay. Afterwards, he was sent to Egypt for a few years to uncover more secrets.Critical Review: Rumford begins with a brief introduction to Egyptian history. This sets the context for hieroglyphs, which were the characters used for writing in ancient Egypt. Additionally, after some of the words (e.g. bird, Thoth) there is a hieroglyph that represents that word. There is a glossary of terms at the conclusion of the book. The picture book jumps to important moments of Jean-Francois Champollion's life, and shows a close relationship with his brother. The illustrations capture and complement the text. For example, when the text is talking about a room full of Egyptian treasures, the illustrations are full of Egyptian treasures. There are random asides with large hieroglyphs, with explanations. These are distracting, but complement the hieroglyphs throughout the text. History is laced throughout the picture book. For example, Napoleon being defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. This will spark the reader's interest, and builds the credibility of the picture book. The story ends abruptly, "He pressed his ear to the stone and listened to the ancient verse." It doesn't mention how Champollion died or anything. The book does an excellent job capturing Champollion's passion, which inspires the reader to dream big.

So charming. The watercolor paintings and overall appearance is a delight.This book is rated for children but after reading the description I decided to get this as a present for my adult granddaughter. Very glad I did. I feel that any age layman will learn something new about hieroglyphics and the path that led to deciphering them. The artistry is exceptional and the written material is interesting and informative. What a treasure.I'm very taken with this book and am sure my granddaughter will fall in love too.

We added this picture book to our sixth grade study of Ancient Egypt. (No, middle-schoolers are not too old for picture books. I'm not even too old for them!) The book is a well-told story of Champollion's childhood passion to decipher hieroglyphics which was fulfilled in his adulthood. There are attractive and thoughtful illustrations. But my daughter's favorite parts of the book are the hieroglyphic symbols scattered throughout the story. For example, one page has a goat with the caption, "There is a free-spirited kid goat in the Egyptian word 'imagine.'" Tidbits like that really made the language seem like a fun puzzle to solve and inspired my daughter to draw the pictographs as we read through the book.

These was a very interesting book. Almost as interesting as the 5,000 year old puzzle. It really brought the history of interpreting hieroglyphs to life for us! We are using this with Veritas Press Old Testament and Ancieny Egypt and it went along very nicely with the curriculum! Highly recommended!

This biography is so well done. James Rumford always gives you well-researched books, with clear and interesting illustrations. Most important, Rumford writes books kids LOVE and read again and again.This book works some hieroglyphs into the text (cool) and along the sidebars (very cool) -- and it closes with a glossary of words with their hieroglyphs and -- get this -- EGYPTIAN PRONUNCIATIONS. Blow me away.

My 10 yr. old daughter is an Egyptology buff and requested this book specifically even though it is well below her reading level. She read it immediately and just loved it. The school librarian liked it as well, and will be ordering this for the school library. If your school used the Accelerated Reader program, note that this book is a 4.4.

This book is a must read for everyone! As homes schoolers this book brings to light the best in an amazing young scholar. The artwork is delightful, the story is timeless in its message as well as its historical truth. This book brought to life the amazing dedication and direction of a young man. If you only choose one book that explores hieroglyphs, let this be it! It brings to life the mystery that surrounds ancient egypt and empowers young people to acheive their goals. Our 1 and 3 year old enjoyed the pictures and the story, our 8 year old asked if he could see the Rosetta stone and learn to write his name in heiroglyphs! This book draws you in and holds you. This book is fabulous!