Hatshepsut: The Princess Who Became King

by Ellen Galford

She was the Egyptian girl who became a master politician and a supreme stateswoman. Inheriting her father's throne along with her young stepson, Hatshepsut was soon crowned pharaoh in her own right. This is the startling tale of a woman's rise to power within the patriarchal society of ancient Hatshepsut was shrewdly conveyed as a masculine ruler in all public statues and artwork, and donned male dress and a false beard in person. She ruled Egypt for decades, claiming her rightful place in the history of this great civilization.

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Egypt, Childrens, Historical

64 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2007

About the author

Ellen Galford is a Scottish writer of fiction and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hatshepsut is an Eyptian princess who eventually became pharaoh. This children's book is pretty packed with information about her and about Egypt and ancient Egyptian life.

Do people really enjoy reading things with interludes and sidebars? Because I always find it rather annoying, especially when they're plentiful. I guess I'm more of a linear reader.

On top of that, it wasn't strictly chronological. Especially as there was a timeline running along the bottom of the pages. If you read everything on a particular page, you might be spoiled for something coming up in the main text a little later on. The timeline has her well-dead, while the main text is still talking about stuff she did as pharaoh.

But apart from the frustrating format, there's some interesting, cool stuff in here. I know more about ancient Egypt than I did before.

Though I wish we knew her years more accurately. At one point it says she's 30 when she becomes regent, and reined for 22 years (as pharaoh only, or including both her pharaoh and regent years?) And then when she died, she's anywhere from 35 to 55 years old. That a lot of conflictingness and vagueness. Adding to my frustration.

The book also says 'king' a lot, when I would've preferred 'pharaoh'.

But, anyway, Hatshepsut is interesting.

[Ola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aiming for a younger audience…no references.

[Kelly Gesker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this short book to check off an annoying challenge prompt--nonWestern Female World Leader. It reminded me that I had a massive Egypt fascination as a kid. I blame it on the discovery of King Tut. At one point, I could name all the pharoahs in order. Hatshepsut I was fascinating as she assumed a male role as a male when her husband died. I also greatly appreciate the detailed and atmospheric story presented for children. Very vibrant.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this 3.5 out of 5.

I listened to this with audible and found it an interesting and fun read. I enjoyed how the cultural context of Hatshepusut's life was integrated into the known evidence about her life. This is a great introduction to the topic.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, and Misogyny

[Dada Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was hoping for more information

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull and vague. My son gave up a third of the way in, I stuck it out.

[Kelly Timian · Rating 4 out of 5]

• This book is part of series by National Geographic geared towards children ages 8-12. It is chronologically broken up into four separate parts: birth, childhood, adulthood, and kingship. At the back of the book are an index, bibliography, and glossary. All of the pages have a running timeline that takes up an inch of the bottom margins, containing key facts that correspond with each page. It begins at 3500 B.C. and ends at 1904 A.D. Each page has at least one on more pictures that are primarily colorful photographs to give the reader a visual image of the text. The photos depict Egyptian artifacts that range from paintings to statues to jewelry.

• In addition to images, several of the pages contain post-it note sized squares that supplement the topic discussed in the text. For example, in the section titled “Life at Court” on page 42, one of the post-it note squares describes Hatshepsut’s royal headdresses in detail: precious metals with intricate carvings of snakes and birds. Each of the squares is color coded to help students navigate how the details fit into the larger picture of Hatshepsut’s life and legacy.

• This book is an excellent resource to use during a social studies unit on Ancient Egypt. It provides a concise account of Hatshepsut’s life and how she contributed to her civilization. It also provides valuable information about Egyptian culture such as hieroglyphs, system of gods, and government. There are several photographs of art that could serve as a good introduction to what to expect when visiting a museum.

[Marie F · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars...

So-so. I reckon the images are a nice plus. Frankly, a lot of the information in this is inconsistent or vague and feels "supposed/assumed" rather than substantial. Also much of it conflicts with other resources, not sure if that is due to its age or if the author was purposely doing it as her femininity is often over-emphasized sometimes to the point of falseness, and it seems some details were altered to the 'typical women of the day would have' rather than 'Hatshepsut did'... forcing a person into your preferred box is a disservice to history, humanity, and the education of children. I really hope much of this was due to simple not knowing rather than intent, but several of this author's proclaimed unknowns are in fact things other historians have pieced together (though perhaps at a later date) And this resource definitely feels whitewashed and agenda driven at times, while vague and we-may-never-know at others... which seems rather reminiscent of a creationist science spin only on history. Somewhat disappointing, but maybe it's only outdated by further discovery. Not something I could recommend to my little Hatshepsut fan for much beyond the photos though.

[yasmine Hefnawy · Rating 3 out of 5]

حتشبسوت "أميز نساء العالم" حبيتها من وانا صغيرة ..افضل فرعونة عندي حكمت بلاد"طيبة" ماكنتش اعرف عنها غير معلومات خفيفة من ايام ما كنا بندرس التاريخ في المدرسة ..فرحت جداً لما لقيت الكتاب ده بيسرد قصة حياتها..
الكتاب رائع، وسرده لحياتها مبسط ..ووجود صور علي كل فقرة شيء اروع يعني.. يثبت الكلام اكتر في دماغك،
مفيش غير ملحوظة صغيرة بس سلبية في كتابة بعض التواريخ في نهاية كل صفحة بتحكي عن شيء مختلف وملخبط تماماً عن اللي بيتحكي في الصفحة ذات نفسها..يعني التواريخ دي لخبطتني، زائد انها مكررة احيان في بعض الصفحات الاخري.. بس تصميم صفحات الكتاب واختلاف الالوان والصور الكتير تبعث السرور جواك وانت بتقرا .. حاجة حلوه يعني : ))) ومعرفة معلومات أكتر عن "أميز نساء العالم" ينفع للاطفال من سن ٩ وانت طالع مثلاً..يعني ياريت لو وزارة التربية والتعليم حبت تضيف علي تاريخ الملكة "حتشبسوت" يبقي تضيف الكتاب ده" زي ماهو كده"..وياريت لو مادة التاريخ كلها تبقي زي الكتاب المبسط ده يعني..

"مرحباً بك أيتها الملكة الفرعونة الجميلة والمفضلة لديّ حتشبسوت ماتكير، ملك مصر العليا والسفلي. إنك أنت الملك الذي يسيطر علي العالم وليس القطرين فقط"
تقدري تعتبريها رسالة مني يعني زي رسالة الإله "آمين" ليكي..يا فرعونتي المفضلة : )))

[Literary Chic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard the audiobook version of this and was expecting a lot more from National Geographic. It was only partially about Hatshepsut and mostly conjecture about what life would have been like for her. There was a lot of "During her time she probably...she might have...there could have been." It wasn't at all what I was looking for, nor do I think my elementary nieces would appreciate it. Separate from the work itself, it was clearly for a young audience and an audio version did not work well. The book must have several illustrations that make it more accessible for a young audience. This does not translate well to an audiobook. This one disappointed me.

[Gloria Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to an Egyptian ruler often overlooked. Although intended for younger
readers, it's still good, solid info that can be a springboard for a greater in-depth exploration of the subject A lot was learned about not only this person, but also about life in ancient Egypt, through several areas.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good if you just want a small not very detailed recap of her life. If you love history but don’t like to read I recommend this book but if you want more in-depth information and story than I suggest you keep looking.

[Gabbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, I had to read this book for school. It was pretty interesting though, but then again I don't like Nonfiction..

[Nayira · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me forever to pronounce her name!

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very simple summary. I see it is written for ages 8-12, and for them I would give it more stars.