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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was King Tut?
Ever since Howard Carter uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the young pharaoh has become a symbol of the wealth and mystery of ancient Egypt. Now, a two-and-a-half-year-long museum exhibit of Tut’s treasures is touring major cities in the U.S., drawing record crowds.
This Who Was . . . ? is complete with 100 black-and white illustrations and explains the life and times of this ancient Egyptian ruler, covering the story of the tomb’s discovery, as well as myths and so-called mummy curses.
This Who Was . . . ? is complete with 100 black-and white illustrations and explains the life and times of this ancient Egyptian ruler, covering the story of the tomb’s discovery, as well as myths and so-called mummy curses.
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
357 people are currently reading
1319 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
December 12, 2018
It was less about King Tut and more about Egyptian traditions.
October 30, 2017
It was unpleasant for me to read what they did after king Tut died (ceremony and taking out brain like that) ... but that was life before.. anyway.... It was interesting to read how life was before.
October 23, 2021
A children's history book about King Tut. I had no idea he died so young. This teaches you about life in Egypt in addition to King Tut specifically.
September 12, 2014
I really enjoyed this book,and i encourage you to read this book,too.If you don't like ancient artifacts and adventure,then i wouldn't recommend you read this book.On the other hand,if you do like them,than I highly do think that you will enjoy it as much I did.My favorite part in this book was when Mr.Carter found king Tuts tomb and all the ancient artifacts in with him.
August 7, 2015
Read with my 6 yo. I love these books, and my biggest problem with Egypt-related books is the emphasis on death, mummy making.
December 7, 2020
Who Was King Tut? by Roberta Edwards is a short but fact-filled book in the award-winning "Who Was..." series targeted specifically for the youth market. The author shares details about Tutankhamun's life from his birth in about 1341 BC to his young death in 1323 BC. Upon the death of his father, King Smenkhkare, in 1333 BC, Tutankhamun ascended to the throne as king. Over the centuries since his death, King Tut's name was lost to history until his lost tomb had been discovered in 1922 during an archeological dig in the Valley of Kings in Egypt. Until this discovery, tombs of the Egyptian kings that had been found were previously raided and left empty. Because the tomb of King Tut had been built over and lost in time, when it was discovered, it was the first undisturbed intact tombs ever found and the contents were a treasure trove and a look into the lives of the ancient Egyptian kings. I found this to be well written and presented the major facts about his life; great as an overview or refresher for other books I've read about him. Especially of interest is The Murder of King Tut, an excellent book by James Patterson.
September 5, 2018
105 pages. Another great biography about a mysterious ancient boy king. I learned a lot about the ancient Egyptian culture and about this young king. The illustrations, timelines and additional resources were especially helpful. The description of mummification was very interesting and well-written. I think kids would enjoy this one. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.
May 2, 2018
Interesting info about King Tut. I was a little confused, though. The author said know no one really knows who were Tut's parents then spent a whole chapter talking about his parents. It seems like a lot of suppositions were made and not all the facts were addressed, like Tut's club foot.
May 4, 2024
Interesting little book. I even learned a bit about Egypt and their customs.
November 14, 2024
It kept my kids interested, and the artwork being done in the style of Ancient Egypt was a nice touch.
June 2, 2017
Well a snow day = a reading day over here and decided to prepare for my 6th graders and their unit in ELA and Social Studies on Ancient Egypt. Next month our school is preparing an International Fair and this is their continent is Africa and their unit of study the illustrious Egyptians---hmm also one of my favorite time periods so it was a win-win..Learned alot from this 101 page little gem that is not only on King Tutankhamen the nineteen year old who was only a Pharoah for nine years with such a powerful impact on our knowledge and appreciation for all things Egypt. Ask anyone King Tut, Cleopatra and Nefertiti are all the big names in Egyptian culture and they are all in this book and so much more as you get background on life around the illustrious oh so powerful largest river in the world with the Nile River that birthed civilization, arguably the best and most advanced in the world rich in literature, history, religion, fashion, court life, rituals and just amazing life. You get insight on the Gods you hear of and read about in very good detail for young readers with the creation story involving King Osiris and Queen Isis with their brother Seth and son Horus..so many legends and myths and things to love here..you get background on King Tut's supposed father the mysterious and intriguing Aten, husband of Nefertiti and the way he changed everything. The stories that come out of Egypt are always inspiring, entertaining and just why I am always so drawn to it, sigh I must visit the great pyramids of Giza one day that is a promise..okay so back to the story you get a little of how life was in ancient Egypt and a truly detailed look at mummification, funeral rites and how much Egyptians valued tradition, history and the afterlife where all is right and you are a reborn as a God or Goddess. I truly appreciated learning about Howard Carter, the tireless archaeologist who searched for over fourteen years to uncover this tomb of treasures allowing these amazing stories to be told..I could go on and on as you see LOL but lastly let me gush about another story I loved with Osiris and the weighing of the heart against the feather of truth as I have read alot of Egyptian literature and thought this simple retelling of the Book of the Dead was just great they even included the silly mummy curse fascination which I feel takes away from the power and awe of a mummy and the careful preparation, care and honor taken, a mummy sits in Natron salt for forty days and then is dressed and wrapped in fifteen, the time to care for your ruler's future not to mention enclosure in solid gold tombs and nested in three..I love all things Ancient Egypt and always learn so much, hope the 6th graders enjoy it as much as I did, always makes you want to read and learn more and more and definitely plan that trip...:)
December 21, 2025
I love learning about Ancient Egypt; in particular, the mummies - the way they prepared and wrapped them and cared for the bodies, then placed over them golden masks, then several more beautiful encasings, to honor the human life and prepare for the afterlife, like a sacred Matroyshka doll. Death deserves to be a little complicated, or at least have several steps- doesn't it? And it deserves to be beautiful.
I don't need a tomb with a chariot in it, though. I'm glad we don't do that for our leaders anymore. The Pharoahs tried to "take it with them," but we know now that what you get take with you is you... and your karma; not your gold, your servants, or your power over people. Thank goodness.
I don't need a tomb with a chariot in it, though. I'm glad we don't do that for our leaders anymore. The Pharoahs tried to "take it with them," but we know now that what you get take with you is you... and your karma; not your gold, your servants, or your power over people. Thank goodness.
February 28, 2017
This book was interesting because it talked about an accent king from the past .The book talked about how he became a king of Egypt. It also talked about how he became a popular king. Over all if you are inserted in history this would be a good book for you.
January 26, 2021
This book was a decent book but not my personal preference or interest. I attempted to make a connection or be in King Tut's state of mind to do what he did or what he felt but it was rather difficult. This is because the book discusses how King Tut ruled Ancient Egypt in the south, the most northern country being Cairo, and I felt like I was a philosopher that acted as a superior on the council of King Tut and later became a historian that recorded all of his memorable life events. This book is not for everyone because fiction readers cannot relate to it the same way that they can relate to a fiction-based story. However, non-fiction readers can really enjoy what this book has to offer because they learn most of the history that King Tut was part of, and helped influence within this era. To me, the cover of this book seems misleading because when I first grabbed it, I was anticipating for it to be a historical fiction book. To my disappointment, it was a non-fiction book that used an artistic cover and it misled myself, and perhaps many others, who were looking for a different experience. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to those that truly enjoy non-fiction and I would advise fiction readers or those that get bored with historical facts to avoid reading this book.
December 3, 2019
Although ultimately this book is a biography of King Tut, it also is a history book of Egypt. Not much is known about the child pharoah that a small amount of the book is actually about him. More is about his father and other aspects of Egyptian history.
I was a big fan on how the book was set up. There are chapters that are a bit narrative and within the chapters there are extra informative sidebars to add to the story being told. I will definitely get more books from the "Big Head Biography" series in the future. I think they make history and biographies so accessible to children.
This book piggie backed nicely with Athena's Son which I read a week ago and would be a great nonfiction connection with it, the Kane Chronicles, Aphrodite the Diva, and any other book with Egyptian mythology.
I was a big fan on how the book was set up. There are chapters that are a bit narrative and within the chapters there are extra informative sidebars to add to the story being told. I will definitely get more books from the "Big Head Biography" series in the future. I think they make history and biographies so accessible to children.
This book piggie backed nicely with Athena's Son which I read a week ago and would be a great nonfiction connection with it, the Kane Chronicles, Aphrodite the Diva, and any other book with Egyptian mythology.
November 25, 2012
Title-Who Was King Tut?
Time-11/23=30min,11/24=30min
7words-Egypt,pharaoh,Nile river,tomb,young,mummy,die
Discussion Question-
1. Q. By the time Tut was ten, he was already married. How old do you want to marry?
A. I want to marry at the age of 25, because I want to be a young mother.
2. Q. The trasures of Tut's tomb were sent to a museum in Cairo, Egypt. If you die, do you want to be a mummy? Why or why not?
A. If I'm famous person, I want to be a mummy.
I'm intereseted in Tut, so I want to go to Egypt, and I want to know about KIng Tut. It was fun for me to read the book.
Time-11/23=30min,11/24=30min
7words-Egypt,pharaoh,Nile river,tomb,young,mummy,die
Discussion Question-
1. Q. By the time Tut was ten, he was already married. How old do you want to marry?
A. I want to marry at the age of 25, because I want to be a young mother.
2. Q. The trasures of Tut's tomb were sent to a museum in Cairo, Egypt. If you die, do you want to be a mummy? Why or why not?
A. If I'm famous person, I want to be a mummy.
I'm intereseted in Tut, so I want to go to Egypt, and I want to know about KIng Tut. It was fun for me to read the book.
February 19, 2015
My 9yo says, "A little outdated because they discovered new information about him this year. But it was a good basic book."
November 6, 2018
I learned nothing
June 22, 2022
I enjoy this short little books of pictures and simple, interesting facts.
December 7, 2020
Who Was King Tut? is one of the "Who/What/Where is/was" series of books and I've been fairly impressed at how they present topics like this for children. Who Was King Tut? is another good book in the line, but it does have some things that do detract from it.
In general, the book is about the Pharaoh we call King Tut. It talks about what we know about him, but also admits that we're not sure about a lot of things either. King Tut was young when he ruled Egypt and also died while he was still fairly young. This has made it so that we don't really know much about what he did as Pharaoh, and it is quite possible that he didn't really accomplish much.
The reason why King Tut is so famous today is that he is the only Pharaoh whose tomb we've found, that hadn't been robbed. It is the ability to see what kind of treasure the Pharaoh's were buried with and getting a hint at their lives due to that treasure that has left a mark on history.
Now it is this lack of knowledge or simply lack of things to know about Tut that causes one of the biggest potential weaknesses in the book. The book talks quite a bit about various aspects of Egyptian culture throughout. The gods of Egypt, how mummies are made, their belief in the underworld, and things like that. This is great if this book is your first foray into Egyptian history and culture, it is not as great if this is one of a line of books you've read on the subject.
I do understand that there as much to write about King Tut as other figures, but some of the stuff added to the book felt a little like fluff to pad out the book because there wasn't enough about King Tut to dedicate the whole book about. It was still an enjoyable book, but it was about equally split between focusing on King Tut and talking about various aspects of Egyptian culture.
Overall, this is still a good book and a good introductory history for kids. If you don't know much about Egyptian history and all you know is the name King Tut and this was the book you're starting with then it will be a great book for you. If, like me, you've been studying Egypt with your kids for a number of weeks and then read this book, you'll still enjoy it but you'll be retreading a fair amount of ground. It's good for reviewing things, but also felt a little unnecessary.
In general, the book is about the Pharaoh we call King Tut. It talks about what we know about him, but also admits that we're not sure about a lot of things either. King Tut was young when he ruled Egypt and also died while he was still fairly young. This has made it so that we don't really know much about what he did as Pharaoh, and it is quite possible that he didn't really accomplish much.
The reason why King Tut is so famous today is that he is the only Pharaoh whose tomb we've found, that hadn't been robbed. It is the ability to see what kind of treasure the Pharaoh's were buried with and getting a hint at their lives due to that treasure that has left a mark on history.
Now it is this lack of knowledge or simply lack of things to know about Tut that causes one of the biggest potential weaknesses in the book. The book talks quite a bit about various aspects of Egyptian culture throughout. The gods of Egypt, how mummies are made, their belief in the underworld, and things like that. This is great if this book is your first foray into Egyptian history and culture, it is not as great if this is one of a line of books you've read on the subject.
I do understand that there as much to write about King Tut as other figures, but some of the stuff added to the book felt a little like fluff to pad out the book because there wasn't enough about King Tut to dedicate the whole book about. It was still an enjoyable book, but it was about equally split between focusing on King Tut and talking about various aspects of Egyptian culture.
Overall, this is still a good book and a good introductory history for kids. If you don't know much about Egyptian history and all you know is the name King Tut and this was the book you're starting with then it will be a great book for you. If, like me, you've been studying Egypt with your kids for a number of weeks and then read this book, you'll still enjoy it but you'll be retreading a fair amount of ground. It's good for reviewing things, but also felt a little unnecessary.
June 9, 2020
It was fascinating reading about King Tut. I love this series because it gives you a quick overview without committing too heavily to a subject. I like to read all of these because then I can discuss them with my students. They're also pretty quick.
I've always known about King Tut, without really knowing anything about his life. I think a lot of people are the same way. What I didn't realize was that he actually probably wasn't that big of deal in Egypt's history. The reason he's so well known today is because of his tomb. The other tombs had pretty much been ransacked, whereas Tut's was hidden beneath another Pharaoh's and kept largely protected. His tomb had incredible treasures that hadn't been touched for 3200 years and helped scholars learn a lot about ancient Egypt.
The most notable thing that happened during King Tut's reign was that the dramatic religious turmoil of his father's era was reversed. His father decided that instead of worshiping the ancient gods that Egypt had worshiped forever, everyone would worship one god, the Sun God, and of course Tut's Dad was the emissary of said God. It basically sounded like he went a bit nuts.
King Tut didn't live very long, and no one is really sure how he died though some suspect that he might have been murdered. They did some super fancy, high powered cat-scan and couldn't really prove it one way or another. There was a leg wound that could've become infected, and a bonk on his head, but it looked like that happened after he was dead. And the catscan obviously can't show something like poison. It's a mystery of history!
I've always known about King Tut, without really knowing anything about his life. I think a lot of people are the same way. What I didn't realize was that he actually probably wasn't that big of deal in Egypt's history. The reason he's so well known today is because of his tomb. The other tombs had pretty much been ransacked, whereas Tut's was hidden beneath another Pharaoh's and kept largely protected. His tomb had incredible treasures that hadn't been touched for 3200 years and helped scholars learn a lot about ancient Egypt.
The most notable thing that happened during King Tut's reign was that the dramatic religious turmoil of his father's era was reversed. His father decided that instead of worshiping the ancient gods that Egypt had worshiped forever, everyone would worship one god, the Sun God, and of course Tut's Dad was the emissary of said God. It basically sounded like he went a bit nuts.
King Tut didn't live very long, and no one is really sure how he died though some suspect that he might have been murdered. They did some super fancy, high powered cat-scan and couldn't really prove it one way or another. There was a leg wound that could've become infected, and a bonk on his head, but it looked like that happened after he was dead. And the catscan obviously can't show something like poison. It's a mystery of history!
October 15, 2019
King Tut was a king a the young age of 10. He died very young and and was buried with many jewels and statues. In 1922 and English man named Howard carter stated to look for his tomb. But he had no luck it took him many years to find it but soon he found it. Then and man named lord carnarvon came and gave him money to search for many more years. Then on day he found a stair case to King tuts tomb but he had to wait for lord carnarvon to come. It took him two weeks to get there. Then after they discovered his tomb lord carnarvon died from a mosquito bite and many believe that the evils spirits came back and killed lord carnarvon because he messed with tuts tomb.
This book was my informational text pick. This book was great and had a lot of information about ancient Egypt. This goes into details on how the mummy was wrapped and how long it took for it to happen. It tells how many years it took Howard Carter to find it and the process he had to go through to find king tuts mummy. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
This book was my informational text pick. This book was great and had a lot of information about ancient Egypt. This goes into details on how the mummy was wrapped and how long it took for it to happen. It tells how many years it took Howard Carter to find it and the process he had to go through to find king tuts mummy. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
February 18, 2021
This book is full of information about King Tug, ancient Egypt, women in ancient Egypt, Howard Carter (the explorer who discovered King Tut's tomb), pyramids, and mummies. Although all of the information was interesting, it was put together in the book in a way that made it feel a little choppy. The book would be useful for a lesson on ancient civilizations, and it could be the basis of a discussion about cultural differences on many topics, including women's role in society, death, marriage, or religion. I would probably engage students with this book by asking them what items they would take with them if they believed that they would be able to take those items to an afterlife! I think I would hear about a lot of pets, as well as toys and stuffed animals. The reading level of the book is probably appropriate for a third grade class, although a fourth or fifth grade class might be more able to absorb the content. Honestly, I am not sure it is engaging enough for a read-aloud project, even though it could generate some interesting ideas and discussions for the class.
December 29, 2021
Who Was King Tut by Roberta Edwards Illustrator True Kelley- Illustrated Colour Picture Book- This Book narrates the story of ancient Egypt in thirteen chapters (1) who was King Tut? In Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California the Mummy of King Tut was displayed for public view. Public was inquisitive to view their Artefacts, dress, furniture, lamps, musical instruments, board games etc. were (2) Gift of River Nile, (3) an uncommon & typical father (4) Young king, (5) early death, (6) Life after death, (7) Preparation of dead body in to mummy, (8) Valley of Kings, (9) Craze to discover mummies, (10) Howard Carter and Englishman discovered the cave in which mummy of King Tut was placed. He took financial help from others, (11) Gold everywhere, (12) Finding the King’s mummy, (13) Anecdote that King Tut is still alive. King Tut was the youngest pharaoh /ruler of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt or interested in learning more about the mysterious King Tut. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
March 12, 2024
The reason I wanted to read this book was for a few reasons. One, I had to present a children's' nonfiction series and two I saw this book in my house growing up because my brother had but I never read it. Just seeing the cover of this book gave me so much nostalgia. I really liked this book. It does a very well job about educating kids about ancient Egypt and teaching them about King Tut. I really like this series and I talked about that in my last review. I would add this book to my personal library because this series is great. This series is very educational and it can teach kids so many lessons. I think that kids would add this book and the series to their library. I liked how it had a lot of pictures along with the readings. This book is very good for a transition into chapter books. I think that kids would find this book very entertaining and educational. I think kids would like this book and not even realize they are being educated. I think that it is great for kids to read nonfiction and I think this series is a great way for kids to learn from it.
September 25, 2017
The Kiddo brought this one home from the school library as part of an assignment to read biographies.
This was a good overview of Ancient Egyptian history, the culture around the burial of Pharaohs, and the search for Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter.
This is a lot to cover in a relatively small book, so there were places where I would have liked to learn more, but as a childrens' introduction it did a reasonable job of keeping on pace and presenting a good selection of facts. The writing was a bit dry, in spite of attempts to keep it interested. The Kiddo generally enjoyed the book, but tuned out during some of the parts not directly involved with mummies, which was his original source of interest.
True Kelley's simple pen illustrations are a nice accompaniment to the text, and were helpful in a number of places at providing just the right visual at the right time.
This was a good overview of Ancient Egyptian history, the culture around the burial of Pharaohs, and the search for Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter.
This is a lot to cover in a relatively small book, so there were places where I would have liked to learn more, but as a childrens' introduction it did a reasonable job of keeping on pace and presenting a good selection of facts. The writing was a bit dry, in spite of attempts to keep it interested. The Kiddo generally enjoyed the book, but tuned out during some of the parts not directly involved with mummies, which was his original source of interest.
True Kelley's simple pen illustrations are a nice accompaniment to the text, and were helpful in a number of places at providing just the right visual at the right time.
August 12, 2019
King Tut was one of the most famous rulers of all time. Tut was born a prince, but became king at a young age when his father died. Tut died young as well, only eighteen. Scientists are not sure how Tut died, but they think it was from poisoning. Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Carter was with a team exploring ancient tombs.
They were trying to find the mummy because they were extremely valuable at that time. After digging and working for three years, they were ready to be done. But Carter insisted on digging a little longer. Then, they finally found his tomb. They sent the treasures to a museum. The body stayed in the tomb though, and that is where is rests today. I thought this book was interesting because I learned all about the most famous Egyptian ruler of all time and what he did as king. I would recommend it to anyone who likes history.
They were trying to find the mummy because they were extremely valuable at that time. After digging and working for three years, they were ready to be done. But Carter insisted on digging a little longer. Then, they finally found his tomb. They sent the treasures to a museum. The body stayed in the tomb though, and that is where is rests today. I thought this book was interesting because I learned all about the most famous Egyptian ruler of all time and what he did as king. I would recommend it to anyone who likes history.
November 22, 2021
This book is a part of the WHOHQ series. I have read several of these this year for brain breaks between larger novels (I don't always like to jump into another book while my brain still digests the one it just finished!)
Out of the books in this series I've read, this one thus far is my least favorite. I would have rather the book been called "Who was Howard Carter" (the archeologist who discovered King Tut's tomb). We know so little about King Tut and what his life was like at that time - and I feel the author made a lot of assumptions, presenting them as facts.
I loved the information about Egypt and its culture, and the section on how they made mummies was fascinating.
Good book, but not great. Left me with more questions than answers.
Out of the books in this series I've read, this one thus far is my least favorite. I would have rather the book been called "Who was Howard Carter" (the archeologist who discovered King Tut's tomb). We know so little about King Tut and what his life was like at that time - and I feel the author made a lot of assumptions, presenting them as facts.
I loved the information about Egypt and its culture, and the section on how they made mummies was fascinating.
Good book, but not great. Left me with more questions than answers.
May 10, 2018
Copyright: 2006
Number of pages: 112
Book format: print
Reading level: 3-8; GR level S
Genre: nonfiction biography
Lit requirement: biographical novel
Who Was King Tut? is a biography of the famous pharaoh. The book tells all about his life and the life from which he came from which is ancient Egypt.
This book is interesting due to the fact that there is so much information. There are pictures and definitions for words kids may not know. Because of these reasons, I gave it five stars. There are so many book like this one as well that tells about the lives of so many other people both living and deceased.
Number of pages: 112
Book format: print
Reading level: 3-8; GR level S
Genre: nonfiction biography
Lit requirement: biographical novel
Who Was King Tut? is a biography of the famous pharaoh. The book tells all about his life and the life from which he came from which is ancient Egypt.
This book is interesting due to the fact that there is so much information. There are pictures and definitions for words kids may not know. Because of these reasons, I gave it five stars. There are so many book like this one as well that tells about the lives of so many other people both living and deceased.
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