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Gr 2–5—Readers will gain a whole new perspective on the first day of school when they read about a fisherman's son in ancient Egypt on his first day. Khepri and his father leave their quiet village before dawn to sail down the Nile to the busy city of Thebes, where the boy will learn to be a scribe. "I walk close beside my father. He puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder, and the words we do not say fill the hush of dawn." Once they arrive and his father hugs him goodbye, Khepri is left alone to face his fears. "As I stand outside the courtyard, I hear th...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In ancient Egypt, a boy named Khepri sets off with his father in the dark with "My Lord Thoth, the moon" shining overhead. Khepri narrates their journey with lyrical observations in sentences broken up like lines of poetry: "Our crossing is too long and too short, / and when we step into the cool mud on the other side, / I want to stay and to go." After their boat ride down the Nile, they arrive at Thebes through an imposing gate, the blue Nile with its fish, birds, and plants on the left s...Log In or Sign Up to Read More