I love when an author embeds a nonfiction text in a format that is unique, or interesting, or playful. Jessie Hartland has done just that in CYBILS nominee HOW THE SPHINX GOT TO THE MUSEUM.
Hartland follows the journey of a sphinx, ordered by Eqypt's Queen Hatshepsut around 300 BC all the way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1931. The sphinx was ordered by the Pharoah, carved by the scupltors, prized by the Egyptian priests, broken by the stepson, uncovered by archaeologists, repaired by conservators, etc.…
Hartland's format makes the book especially unique. The left side of most two-page spreads is devoted to explaining the role each person played in restoring the Sphinx. The right hand side is a cumulative tale, which sounds a lot like THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. Kids will love following the progression of the Sphinx, and rolling around in interesting words like curator and conservator. And I'm guessing that a lot of readers will be inspired to do further research on Egypt and sphinxes.
Two pages of author's notes include additional information (facts, figures, and dates) about Hatshepsut, the Sphinx, and Eqyptology.