Gr 4-6-Each of these books touches on both ancient and modern life, but to different degrees determined by the subject matter. For example, Culture is dominated by ancient times and religious beliefs. A briefer section mentions modern religious practices, art, music, dance, and other forms of popular culture. By contrast, Land concentrates primarily on how the land is used today. It describes the importance of the Nile River in sustaining life and the growth of major cities, such as Cairo and Alexandria. It only briefly mentions some of the monuments left behind by ancient people. People is mostly devoted to the lives of modern Egyptians. It describes different lifestyles in villages, cities, and the desert, as well as the importance of Islam and Egyptian festivals. There are also sections on family customs, sports, schools, and food. Colorful photos on every page illustrate modern life and the relics of the past. Libraries will need to buy all three of these titles to provide a general understanding of Egyptian life.

The best part of this series of small volumes is the scattering of striking photographs—women veiled in the Muslim tradition making political speeches as far back as 1919 or modern high school graduates in cap and gown showing a mixture of headscarves, mortar boards and flowing hair. However, while this book has two pages of bright colorful photos of modern Cairo—students in western dress, an outdoor café, ladies window shopping—in the very back of the book, most of the text and photography focus much more on village life and older rural customs. It is hard to glean an accurate, coherent picture of life for the great diversity of people in Egypt today. The series is divided into three volumes—“people,” “land,” and “culture.” The difficulty of such a division is immediately apparent because there are pages of ancient Egyptian history in both the “culture” and “people” volumes, and pages about “people” in the “land” book. Glossary words are highlighted in the text and there are frequent headings to simplify reading and organizing for young people.