Review: If You Were Me and Lived in...

For the past few weeks, we have enjoyed reading 4 books that were given to us by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com.

Carole P Roman is an award-winning author of fun and educational books for children. She shares her love of culture and history in this series of non-fiction books for kids. These beautifully written books are aimed at children in the age range of 8 – 14 years old, making them a fantastic addition to the history studies for children in grades 3 – 8.

The four books we received were:

If You Were Me and Lived in…Ancient Greece (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 1).

This 54 page book starts with what Greece looks like today and may have looked like in 350 B.C. It then goes to on discuss the geography of Greece before focusing on a characters daily life, food, dress, education, family, occupations and religion. Famous people such as Alexander the Great and Plato are mentioned. The last few pages contain a list of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and a glossary.

If You Were Me and Lived in…Renaissance Italy (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 2)

Another 54 page book that again starts with the geography of the country, concentrating on the Italian city of Florence. This book follows the same pattern, focusing on a characters daily life, food, dress, education, family, occupations and religion. Some of the famous people mentioned in this book are Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello. The last few pages talk about the art during this time period, showing some of the most famous and well known paintings which is then followed by an alphabetical list of some famous Italian people and a glossary.

If You Were Me and Lived in…Colonial America (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume 4)

This book is 62 pages long and starts in London, then follows the Puritans to the Dutch Netherlands and before setting sail in 1620 to the American colonies. This book covers the trip over on the Mayflower, religious challenges, clothing typically worn, food grown and eaten, and the creation of settlements. At the back of the book, is an alphabetical list of some of the people who influenced the colonies and a glossary.

If You Were Me and Lived in…Ancient China: The Han Dynasty

This is the biggest book that we received at 76 pages long. This book covers China in ancient times, the history, religion, culture, clothing, activities, employment, town and home environment, food choices, necessary attire, monetary values, education, hobbies, and important people and what they accomplished. At the end is an alphabetical list of important people of this time period as well as a glossary.

How did we go?

When the books arrived, our oldest boy was learning about Da Vinci in his social studies books, so he wanted to read that book first. I gave him the book and he came back a short time later telling me he had read it and loved it. Then he took the Colonial America and off he went. Our youngest boy did the same. He picked one out that he was interested in and off he went too. I have to say, it was a very quiet afternoon that day.

After they had completed them, I decided to have a look at them too. Our youngest picked out the one he liked the best and I read it aloud to them that night. After completing the book, we sat and talked about what we had read. The boys found it really interesting to read about other cultures and the way they live compared to the way we now live. We did this every night for four nights, until we had read and talked about each book.

Things I like about these history books:

There are 50+ pages per book – so there is a lot of info in these books.
They all follow a similar format, covering the topics of occupations, food, clothing, recreation and history.
They are visually appealing.
The story is geared towards children – examples: what your name might be, what you would eat, games that you may play.
Each book has a glossary at the back which helps with meanings and pronunciation of words used in the book.

Overall, we loved these books! I love the way they incorporate history and introduce children to different countries and cultures around the world. They are beautifully written, presenting history through the eyes of a child. The pictures are spot on and a great addition to the story which was easy to read but very educational at the same time.

On Carole’s Blog, you will find some great worksheet activities for many of the books she has written.