We're Sailing Down the Nile: A Journey Through Egypt

Six smiling Egyptian children invite readers to accompany them on a sightseeing jaunt down the Nile River, depicted in vibrant, naïve-style collage artwork. The young guides stop at several Egyptian tourist attractions as they make their way from Aswan north to the Great Pyramids of Giza (a concluding map traces the journey). "Climb aboard the river boat! We're sailing down the Nile./ We'll reach the Valley of the Kings in just a little while." As in Off We Go to Mexico and her other travelogues for youngsters, Krebs keeps the rhyming couplets simple and concise as she introduces a sampling of attractions. Wilson (The Great Race ) sometimes zeroes in on just the children against ruddy-orange hues that paint the riverbank, as when they visit a temple along the Nile's edge. The aquamarine ribbon of river beautifully contrasts with the warmer hues of the land. The artist presents a variety of settings, from farmers toiling along the shores to Cairo's colorful skyline, and reinforces the role of the Nile as central to Egyptian life, past and present. A vignette of a different ancient god (Ra, Isis, etc.) appears in the upper right corner of each spread, an addition that seems somewhat out of place. In the back matter, young history buffs will find a brief chronicle of ancient Egypt, a rundown of its gods and their powers, maps, plus information on hieroglyphics, mummies and pyramids. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)