Step back in time with explorers’ journals from Sands and Drake“Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris†By Emily SandsPublisher: Candlewick Press; November 2004ISBN: 0-763-62638-4; hardcover, 32 pages; $19.99Appropriate for children ages 8 and older“Dr. Ernest Drake’s Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons†By Earnest DrakePublisher: Candlewick Press; November 2003ISBN: 0-763-62329-6; hardcover, 32 pages; $19.99Appropriate for children ages 8 and older
I’ve always loved reading travel journals, compilations of ship’s logs and adventure memoirs — learning of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated arctic expedition on the Endurance, Captain Cook’s ill-fated journeys in the South Pacific and Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated flight around the world.
These are merely some of the dramatic figures who risked life and limb for the sake of learning, sharing their knowledge and testing their strength, will and the world’s newest technologies against nature. Their journals and travel logs make for fascinating reading, give us insight into the spirit of an explorer and introduce us to a world less familiar.
Of course, many adventurers lived happily ever after and died well into their dotage. But who can resist a good mystery? Earhart remains as compelling a figure now as during her glory days in the 1930s, and nobody is really sure what prompted the Hawaiians to turn Cook into a nautical martyr … and such puzzles launch the imagination.
As a homage to the golden days of discovery, the fine folks at Candlewick Press have just released “Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris,†a new “discovery†in the vein of the company’s wildly popular, award-winning “Dragonology,†published last year.
In this lavishly-illustrated fictional adventure journal, children will learn of the vivacious Miss Emily Sands, who in 1926 — four years after the discovery of King Tut's tomb and during the height of Egyptomania — led an expedition up the Nile in search of the tomb of the god Osiris.
Alas, Miss Sands and her intrepid crew vanished into the desert, never to be seen again — but her keen observations live on in the form of a “newly recovered†descriptive journal of her travels and discoveries.
Sands’ scrapbook is chockfull of drawings, photographs, foldout maps, postcards, an ancient board game, a scrap of “mummy cloth,†an instructional booklet to deciphering hieroglyphs and an amulet. The book and its “artifacts†introduce children to the ways in which information was analyzed, classified and shared in the days before carbon dating, digital cameras and the Internet.
“Egyptology†is also rich in factual information about life in ancient Egypt and entertainingly peppered with Sands' lively, chatty narration. It concludes with a letter from the “former Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum,†explaining which parts of this unique tale may be accepted as fact, which are guided by legend and which reflect the author's sense of fancy.
As with “Dragonology†— which shared the fictional “long-lost,†and quite eccentric, research journals of renowned 19th century dragonologist, Dr. Ernest Drake — “Egyptology†nourishes the imagination and encourages wonder and discovery. The books are also excellent examples for parents wanting to introduce children to the process of journal writing or keeping a scrapbook or travel log.
Lani Stack is a former preschool teacher and an avid reader who keeps meaning to begin her own journals, scrapbooks and travel logs.
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Greylock Federal Awards Student Scholarships
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union awarded 34 scholarships to high school seniors from every public high school in Berkshire County and Columbia County, N.Y.
Greylock awarded 25 $500 Greylock Community Enrichment Scholarships to students who exemplify positive community spirit and demonstrate respect and concern for their peers in everything they do, stated a press release.
Applicants were required to write an essay, which demonstrated their positive involvement in the community.
"Our scholarship selection committee reviewed every application and essay," said Jennifer Connor-Shumsky, Greylock's Assistant Vice President, Community Support and Events, of the process which received more than 80 applications. "It was really tough to narrow it down, because there were so many incredible students doing some amazing work in the community."
The funds will be applied toward state-accredited or nationally accredited two or four-year colleges or universities, or a full-time technical school program.
"For the first time ever, we were thrilled that two of the scholarships went to students entering a technical/vocational school," said Connor-Shumsky.
In addition to these scholarships, Greylock offers Scholastic Achievement Awards, which are designated for children of Greylock employees who are also high school graduates. This year, Greylock awarded nine $1,000 Scholastic Achievement Awards. These awards are available to all employees.
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