Cleopatra "Serpent of the Nile"

by Mary Fisk Pack, Peter Malone (Illustrator)

Overview

The richest, most powerful woman in the world, Cleopatra ruled the East and tamed the West. With both cunning and charm, she beguiled two of the most famous men in history, entwining Egypt’s destiny with Rome’s. Many believed she was as sly as a serpent. Or was she just smart?

Gorgeous illustrations and an intelligent, evocative story bring to life a real dastardly dame who, despite her schemes, lost everything—including her beloved homeland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780983425601
Publisher:	Goosebottom Books
Publication date:	10/03/2011
Series:	Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	1170L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Mary Fisk Pack has been an elementary school teacher for over twenty years. In addition to being a teacher, she is a writer. She writes curricula, but what she really loves to write are children’s books, especially creative nonfiction picture books about interesting people, times, and places. Mary lives with her family in Northern California.

Peter Malone has illustrated over twenty children’s books for such publishers as Chronicle, Knopf, Putnam, Running Press, and Scholastic. In addition to creating gorgeous illustrations, he wrote the book, Close to the Wind, about the use of the Beaufort scale for measuring wind force at sea. School Library Journal called it “informative and utterly charming.” He lives in Bath, England, with his wife, a restorer of paintings, and their two grown daughters.

Editorial Reviews

"The series lends itself to easy browsing, but these titles serve will for reports, too, and are sure to interest readers who are looking for something a little different for their research."  —School Library Journal on the Real Princesses series

From the Publisher

Gr 4–8—One of the most unique offerings this season, this series presents tales of women throughout history who have not followed societal conventions. Spanning various centuries and continents, the books outline the lives, actions, and misdeeds of women who held positions of great power. The pages have a collagelike appearance, with blocks of texts and captioned photos and reproductions. Sidebars give contextual information, such as "What she played," "What she wore," "What she ate," etc. Readers will find the information engrossing, with stories of dastardly deeds such as poisoning, religious persecution, and outright murder. However, it should be noted that these books have no index, table of contents, or bibliography, so they might be better suited for browsing than for research. Students will question whether or not these women were really inherently evil, or just acting in response to their dysfunctional childhoods and the turbulent times in which they lived.

School Library Journal