Making a Mummy (Smithsonian: Informational Text)

What happens after death? That was a big question for ancient Egyptians. They believed that a person needed his or her body in death as much as in life. So they did all they could to preserve and protect the body. For them, preparing for life after death was an important part of life! Learn about the science behind mummification with this book created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution. This Smithsonian Informational Text builds students' reading skills while engaging their curiosity about STEAM topics through real-world examples. It features a hands-on STEAM challenge that guides students through every step of the engineering design process and is perfect for makerspace activities. It makes STEAM career connections by providing a glimpse into the lives of real-life Smithsonian employees currently working in STEAM fields. Discover engineering innovations that solve real-world problems with this book that touches on all aspects of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math!

Dona Herweck Rice is the prolific author of books, stories, and poems for children of all ages. She’s written hundreds of books and more on just about every topic under the sun, from acrobats to zucchini and everything in between. She has also written award-winning books and curriculums for educators, especially on the subjects of writing and language arts. In fact, her first publications were a series for teachers on how to teach writing in the classroom. She spearheaded the development of Write TIME for Kids, which earned the Golden Lamp award for curriculum from the Association of American Publishers. Her writing is featured heavily in such acclaimed series as Focused Phonics, Untold Stories, Fiction Readers, Nonfiction Readers, Learn and Create, and more.

Dona’s best-selling children’s title with more than 13,000 copies is How Plants Grow, and her most recent titles include dozens of books for the Exploration Storytime series, two titles in the Curious Me!™ board book series, and Ride with Rampage in partnership with the Los Angeles Rams. When Dona visits classrooms to talk about being an author, the most requested titles include History’s Mysteries, Bad Guys and Gals of the Wild West, and Oh, Rats!––the latter being one of Dona’s particular favorites.

Dona is the creator of Cam E. Chameleon, the enchanting little reptile featured in her books The Adventures of Cam E. Chameleon and Cam and Sam’s Colorful Adventure. Observant readers can also find Cam singing and dancing throughout the illustrated retelling of If You’re Happy and You Know It.

Writing is Dona’s passion, but she also loves reading, live theater, and handmade arts and crafts, with many artists and creatives in all mediums among her extended family. Dona was a preschool and middle school teacher and is an acting coach for all ages. She lives in southern California with her husband, son, and one cute, silly, and loveable little dog.