The Unofficial Guide to the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife - by Sophie Berger (Hardcover)

About the Book

Bastet is a mummified cat who is here to take you on a journey through the mystical death rituals of Ancient Egypt. Starting with some routine disembowelment and mummification, she explains about the role of the coffins, the separation of your soul, the importance of amulets and the various types of Egyptian tombs. Together, you will cross the river Styx and face the gods in one final judgement, the weighing of the heart. Bastet will make sure you have everything you need in the afterlife, because, it turns out, you can take it with you after all!

Book Synopsis

A light-hearted, but nonetheless informative insight into the fascinating beliefs and traditions of Ancient Egypt. Striking collage illustrations by Laura Winstone bring a freshness of tone to a subject matter that might be ancient, but never grows old.

"Hello my newly dead friends. Gather round. My name is Bastet and I'm going to be your tour guide to the afterlife. Please make sure your bandages don't trail as we walk along."

Bastet is a mummified cat who is here to take you on a journey through the mystical death rituals of Ancient Egypt. Starting with some routine disembowelment and mummification, she explains about the role of the coffins, the separation of your soul, the importance of amulets and the various types of Egyptian tombs. Together, you will cross the river Styx and face the gods in one final judgement - the weighing of the heart. Bastet will make sure you have everything you need in the afterlife, because, it turns out, you can take it with you after all!

Review Quotes

"A mummified cat called Bastet takes readers on a journey to the ancient Egyptian afterlife, passing by the Hall of Osiris, where the dead travelers are judged with the god Anubis, and arriving to Aaru, a fertile land surrounded by rivers.

The narrator Bastet provides brief but detailed information about ancient Egypt's history, gods, the riveting process of mummification, meaning of different artifacts, pyramids, hieroglyphics, and the steps necessary to prepare the dead for this journey. That narrative is organized in speech bubbles in black text set on pastel backgrounds.

The colorful illustrations, placed across spreads and single pages, are an important element in the book, expressing the information accessibly, comprehensively, and helping readers decode the meaning of the text. Winstone's use of color also plays a relevant role in attracting and keeping readers involved with attention with primary, secondary, and pastel colors filling the animated images.

Readers will learn vocabulary words and find a time line spanning 5000-30 BC. This book could be used in classrooms or kept on the shelves for browsers. The back matter also includes a glossary.

VERDICT A visual, engaging book for kids who enjoy learning about mummies and life in ancient Egypt." -- School Library Journal

"I'll level with you. I'm not quite certain why it is that we haven't seen more of Bastet in our popular culture. As a kid, I always found her the most approachable of the Egyptian gods. Nice that she finally gets her own moment in the spotlight. Now years and years ago, back when I was still working in NYPL's Central Children's Room, someone produced a really remarkable Book of the Dead encapsulation for kids. Trouble is, I can't find hide nor hair of it online at all. Clearly, then, there's been a need to try again. This version is definitely more colorful than the last one I saw, and I am okay with that! We desperately need this book on our shelves." -- Fuse 8/School Library Journal

"The Unofficial Guide to the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife presents a mummified cat's perspective of ancient Egypt's death rituals, including spells, tomb options, and Afterlife visions. This is a fun way of introducing young picture book readers to some of the concepts held by ancient Egyptians of that afterlife. From how bodies are pickled and preserved to magical symbols and decorations, the specifics herein lend to insights that are graphic, intriguing, and fun. Young readers interested in ancient Egypt will find this introduction by Bastet the Cat and Laura Winstone to be colorful, compelling, and attractive." -- Midwest Book Review

"Cheekily narrated by Bastet the Cat (currently a mummy) this colorful trip through the afterlife beliefs of ancient Egyptians manages to be informative, entertaining, and very cool looking.

Winstone does a great job of using simple vocabulary to explain complex procedures and methodologies and keeps the pages from becoming overcrowded or confusing.

The droll, brightly colored (and often cute) illustrations are informative and clear and keep the whole thing from becoming too heavy, as do the cat's wry observations." -- Youth Services Book Review

"Bursting with information, the book has a chatty, easy-to-read tone which is very appealing. I have taught children about the Ancient Egyptians more times than I can remember over the years and they are always fascinated by mummification. This book is the perfect accompaniment to such learning- and brilliant for those curious enough to want to find out more.

One thing I really like is that the book reminds the reader that there were changes in the way things were done as the history of the Ancient Egyptians is such a long one. It focuses on the different styles of pyramids used, but teachers could easily develop this with a class to look at how sarcophagi and other elements also changed.

Accessible and entertaining, 'The Unofficial Guide to the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife' is an excellent addition to any collection of books on Ancient Egypt or for any history lover!" -- Through the Bookshelf

"This would be a hugely engaging text for classes studying Egyptians and would likely have a waiting list to be borrowed. I loved the use of illustrations especially on the heavily decorated sarcophagi and journey to the afterworld. This culture is endlessly engrossing and I found myself completely lost in the tombs of the pharaohs and wondering just what treasures and secrets still lie below the sands of Egypt. I didn't realise that when a cat died, it's owner would shave off their eyebrows in grief. So much to learn from this book!" -- My Shelves Are Full

"For a little picture book - the text and pictures are a little over 30 pages - this book manages to put across a surprising amount of information. I too learnt a lot that I didn't know about from the number of characters or symbols in hieroglyphics to the different coffins that mummies are placed in to information about the gods. (It was interesting to spot similarities between the goddess Bastet, and Ma Shashti who is worshiped in India also as the benefactor of children and like Bastet, is associated with a cat). Everything is put across simply and so, would be easy to understand for its intended readership.

I really loved the artwork in the book. The book uses vibrant colours and attractive pictures which really stand out and combines it with small chunks of text to put across what it's saying effectively.

I also liked that the author didn't gloss over the more macabre or grotesque aspects of things, whether it was Osiris having been cut into bits, or poor Bastet the cat being killed and mummified to accompany her master or the removal and preservation of entrails in the mummification process, all is told in a straightforward way (somewhat like in the Horrible Histories books) - adults will probably squirm more than children at this.

This was a great deal of fun to read and I know I'd have enjoyed it a lot as a child as well. I certainly did as an adult." -- Literary Potpourri

"Lavishly illustrated in the two-dimensional style that we associate with hieroglyphics and paintings inside pyramids, this book cleverly conveys familiar and little-known information about ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices." -- Books YA Love

About the Author

Sophie Berger is a blogger and writer. She is the author of Bartholomew and the Morning Monsters (Cicada, 2020).

Laura Winstone is a Norwich based illustrator and a recent graduate of the CSABI degree in Children's Book Illustration. She was awarded second place in the Macmillan Illustration Prize 2021 for her book 'The Catmolean Museum', on which this book is based. Her distinctive collage illustrations radiate warmth and humour.