Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Gerry Bailey & Karen Foster, Cleopatra’s Coin, ill. Leighton Noyes & Karen Radford. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008.
ISBN
Genre
Biographies
Historical fiction
Target Audience
Children
Cover
We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.
Author of the Entry:
Agnieszka Maciejewska, University of Warsaw, agnieszka.maciejewska@student.uw.edu.pl
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
Susan Deacy, University of Roehampton, s.deacy@roehampton.ac.uk
Gerry Bailey (Author)
Gerry Bailey is an author of children’s books. He wrote in the series “Stories of Great People” which includes books such as Armstrong’s Moon Rock, Cleopatra’s Coin, Columbus’s Chart or Leonardo’s Pallet. He wrote about 150 books most of them educational.
Sources:
tfwiki.net (accessed: July 13, 2017),
jacketflap.com (accessed: July 13, 2017).
Bio prepared by Agnieszka Maciejewska, University of Warsaw, agnieszka.maciejewska@student.uw.edu.pl
Karen Foster (Author)
Karen Foster is an author of book series like the Atlas series, e.g., „Atlas of Africa”, „Atlas of the Poles and Oceans” and also „Stories of Great People”, e.g., Cleopatra’s Coin, Julius Caesar's Sandals. Foster and I. J. Schecker co-authored a book about Karen and her murdered daughter Bonnie – „Justice for Bonnie. An Alaskan Teenager’s Murder and Her Mother’s Tireless Crusade for the Truth”.
Sources:
justiceforbonnie.com (accessed: July 13, 2017),
www.spcoalition.org/foster (accessed: July 13, 2017),
www.goodreads.com (accessed: July 13, 2017).
Bio prepared by Agnieszka Maciejewska, University of Warsaw, agnieszka.maciejewska@student.uw.edu.pl
Translation
Polish: Moneta Kleopatry, trans. Zuzanna Ferenc-Warchałowska, Kielce: Wydawnictwo Jedność, 2008.
Summary
The book is part of the series Stories of Great People. The narration starts when Digby Platt and her sister Hannah Platt approach Mr. Rummage’s stand. They find an old coin in a pile of old items. Mr. Rummage asks the children if they know whose face is on the coin. The children don't know so Mr. Rummage begins to tell them the story of Cleopatra VII. He talks about the origins of the coin, where the queen's dynasty came from and how big her family was. In addition, the shopkeeper tells the children about the culture of Hellenistic Egypt (Egyptian religion, the appearance of Alexandria and the royal amusements). He then mentions the two warriors who were close to Cleopatra – Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. In Mr. Rummage's story, there is also a place for the Battle of Actium. The story ends with the death of Cleopatra. The book is additionally provided with separate pages with interesting facts about the queen (the legends/myths about life and character of Cleopatra are either confirmed or disproved).
Analysis
The book tells about the life of Cleopatra VII in a very accessible way. During the continuous narration of Mr. Rummage, Digby and Hannah are asking questions that could come to the mind of a young reader as well. Thanks to the straightforward plot based on facts, children learn about the Egyptian queen and related historical events. In addition to Cleopatra's story, the young reader is able to discover ancient art and culture through numerous annotations with pictures, engravings, and frescoes from various historical periods. This makes the book and the story rich in a wide range of issues related to the life of Cleopatra, the events surrounding her, and the myths that grew around her.
