If you’ve taken your children to the Young V&A’s new Ancient Egypt exhibition, then there’s a good chance they left mesmerised by the fascinating civilisation and its mummies, pharaohs and animal-like gods and goddesses.
So if you want to keep their imaginations flowing — and their learning growing — you should hunt out some of the best ancient Egypt books especially for kids.
If you agree, then I have you covered. Because I’ve asked Trish Roberts, the assistant curator of Young V&A’s Making Egypt exhibition, to recommend the very best books on ancient Egypt for younger readers. Experts don’t come more expert!
Here are Trish’s picks of the six ancient Egypt books your kids won’t be able to put down.
— Making Egypt runs at Young V&A in London until 02 November 2025
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Myths, Mummies and Magic in Ancient Egypt by Stephen Davies and Nuria Tamarit
The ancient Egyptians are amongst history’s most compelling storytellers, and this gloriously colourful set of comic strips brings Egypt’s key myths to life. The story of creation, the epic battle between Osiris and Seth, the myth of the Sphinx — it’s all here.
The stories are interspersed with richly illustrated double-page spreads that introduce us to life in ancient Egypt, and sensitively explore how mythology helps us all to make sense of the world. The book is colourful and contemporary, with a smattering of cringey puns (always a plus).
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Ancient Egyptian mythology provides a rich foundation for fantasy. In the Kane Chronicles, part of the Percy Jackson universe, the gods are released into the modern-day and chaos reigns. After their father disappears from his job at the museum (a dangerous profession!), siblings Carter and Sadie discover they are the earthly avatars of Horus and Isis.
To save their father — and the world — they must harness ancient magic to battle the gods of darkness. It’s an epic trilogy for fantasy lovers aged 9+ that plays imaginatively with the mayhem of the ancient Egyptian pantheon.
Talk Like an Egyptian by Tegen Evans and Nina Chakrabarti
Part language, part art form, hieroglyphs are another of ancient Egypt’s key creative legacies. They’re mind boggling to get your head around, but this activity book from the British Museum gives KS2 readers a giddy head start.
It’s got all the classic activities (think write your name in hieroglyphs), but also challenges you to start decoding and constructing phrases. Crucially, it comes with stencils, so you can design a cartouche to rival any ancient scribe.
The Boy Who Stole the Pharaoh's Lunch by Karen McCombie
An illustrated time-travel adventure with dyslexia-friendly formatting. Seth, the class clown, finds school boring. Until… he stumbles across an amulet that transports him back in time to ancient Egypt.
Cue a funny and creative adventure through ancient markets, temples, and royal courts. Written for KS2, it’s a rewarding story with lots of historical detail.
Your Wish is My Command by Deena Mohamed
Older fans of illustration will be absorbed by this graphic novel set in a surreal modern-day Cairo. It traces the struggles of three characters who buy a wish at a street kiosk, a trace of ancient magic left in the busy urban world.
It’s a dark but playful graphic novel which explores mental health, faith, loneliness and feminism. First published in Arabic as Shubeik Lubeik, it’s been translated to English by the (much awarded) author but is still read from right to left.
Egyptology: Search for the Tomb of Osiris by Dugald Steer
One of those books that you become obsessed with as a child and then reminisce about frequently as an adult. Since it was first published in 2004, this wonder has inspired many an Egyptologist!
A glowing gold cover and shiny red gemstone conceal layers of mysterious letters, pop up temples, tricky puzzles and pull-out ancient objects (like a fragment of the Rosetta stone). Every millennial in the Young V&A office agrees — no ancient Egyptian reading list would be complete without it.
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