100 Facts: Mummies

A little while ago, our professor, Erin McGuire showed us a quirky little children's book called 100 Facts: Mummies? I took a quick look through it in class, and thought it was a pretty interesting book. The other day, I walking past a Coles Book store near my place and decided to pop in to see if they had the book. They did, and $4 later I walked out with my own copy. While it is a colourful, inviting presentation that briefly, but successfully covers many of the different mummies around the world, what I found most interesting was how this book was meant for children to read (rather than 2nd university students like in my case). Not only that, but the book contained information that might be rather disturbing or discomforting for younger children (or people of any age) such as the Inca children in South America that were sacrificed in religious practices (there's even an animated picture of two young kids dressed up in ceremonial costume before their death). So, right off the bat - Is this right? Is it right for kids to be introduced to stuff like this at such a young age? What about compared to generally considered violent video games or action movies? Is this book a better, or a more 'healthy' example of talking about death? There have been many studies that prove that violent video games for example, have led to negative outcomes such as being more aggressive, more prone to confrontation to authorities, and a decline in school achievements (Gentile et all, 2004). Could showing young children real, possibly just as gruesome images have the same effect. I think the way that the information is presented has enormous importance. In video game where it's intended to kill others to win, it's evident that this may have some psychological impacts on a growing child and their natural motivations. However, in an archaeological perspective or even in just a way that a child could appreciate the mystery of the mummies, I think introducing adolescence to the different perserved bodies around the world is definitely acceptable. Younger children may not understand or appreciate the curiosity of the beautifully perserved, old, lifeless bodies, so it may be better for an older audience. In regards to 100 Facts: Mummies, I think the book does a very good job in introducing children to the world of fascinating and compelling history of perserved bodies without any possibility that it could be psychologically harmful.                 Gentile, D. A. Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, agressive behaviours, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5 - 22.