An Introduction to Civilizations and Cultures

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If you know our family at all, you know that we love reviewing books, and the Carole P. Roman books and collections are no exception. In only 6 years, Carole P. Roman has written over 50 books for children and received countless awards for her works. Not only is she an accomplished author, she's a generous one, as well. We were able to choose any 3 of her titles. She has various series in her collection from books teaching about cultures and civilizations to bedtime stories to early reader chapter books to books about pirates teaching morals and more. Though they are all charming, we are partial to her If You Were Me series and were excited to read more. We received the following books:

   

If You Were Me and Lived in...Israel: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World (Volume 19)

If You Were Me and Lived in...Australia: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World (Volume 8)

If You Were Me and Lived in...the American West: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time (Volume 10)

If You Were Me and Lived in...Israel is the 19th book in the Cultures Around the World series. This series follows a distinct pattern. The book begins with a picture of the country along with its capital and then shows where it is on the globe. Next is a brief description of the capital city. The book also gives examples of what you may have been named if you were born there, what you'd call your parents, and what type of currency you'd use (and why its ancient roots). It talks about popular places to visit (why the Dead Sea got its name), some of the common foods (mmm, glida), types of recreation (Krav Maga, for example), and a special holiday.

There are other facts, too, like the word for school, why they read and write from the right side of the page to the left, and more. The last few pages of the book are filled with the pronunciations of the foreign words used along with brief definitions. The pronunciations are also found written throughout the story, but it's nice to have a list of these words in one place. 

If You Were Me and Lived in...Australia is volume 8 of the same series and is also told in the  second-person style and follows a matching format. This book talks about the Old Parliament House and why its location was chosen as the capital city, what animals you'd find in the Great Barrier Reef, and when you might eat Vegemite (my kids are leery to try this). We learned when you'd use wickets, about Australia Day and why it is celebrated in January, and about a bareboat.

Like the other, this one  also concludes with a pronunciation guide with descriptions. This one is a tad shorter than the other at just shy of 25 pages.

If You Were Me and Lived in...the American West is the 10th book of the Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time series. The books in this series are so much more in depth and contains much more information than the Culture series books.  Each one places you, the reader, in that location during that time period. This 50+ page paperback gives a fantastic description of what it could have been like to live in the American West in the 19th century. It explains why you may have left your homestead in the "Great Migration of 1843." It describes the hardships you would have experienced during travel in your conestoga, like the thick mud, clouds of dust, illnesses, and accidents. You learn about the simple clothing, the daily chores (like collecting buffalo chips to build a fire to cook dinner), why you would hang a pail of milk on the side of the wagon, and what you'd eat. You'll read about how you'd have to build a home in the new land, how you'd spend your days, when you'd be fortunate enough to attend school, and why you might long to be a cowboy. 

The back of the book contains a glossary of people, places, and things that are pertinent to that time and place. It also has a section about important or famous people and a description for each. These resources can be used as a spring board for further study.

My kids and I enjoyed these books greatly. With literature being the foundation of our schooling, I depend on living books for the majority of our learning. A book that puts you in the story and teaches without feeling like work is the preferred way to learn history in our home. These books are not full curricula on the topics, by any means, but they are a wonderful introduction. We had many "rabbit trail" discussions that were encouraged by the stories and took the time to look up pictures and more information along the way. The boys and I have been calling their sister Minerva for days, laughing about the buffalo "chips," making a grocery list for homemade humus and falafel, and dreaming about visiting the beautiful sights of Australia and swimming in the Great Barrier Reef. 

If you'd like to learn more about cultures of our world or civilizations of the past, Carole P. Roman has many award-winning options to choose.

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You can read more reviews of the Carole P. Roman books and collections on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

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If You Were Me Books

This review is brought to you by Carole P. Roman and Awaywegomedia.com.

Reading is a huge part of our lives. With literature being the foundation of our schooling, I depend on living books for the majority of our learning. Textbooks have their place, I suppose, but a book that puts you in the story and teaches without feeling like work is much preferred in our home. My kids enjoy history especially in this manner. We were able to study 4 different time periods and locations with the following books:

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume I) 
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume II)
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Elizabethan England (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume III)
• If You Were Me and Lived in...the Middle Ages (An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time) (Volume VI)

As soon as the books came, the kids were excited. They enjoy the other If You Were Me books by Carole P. Roman that we own, and they expected these to be the same. They are similar in that the books are written in second person format. Each book places you, the reader, in that location during that time period. What we didn't expect was that these book, which are part of the Introduction to Civilizations set, are so much more in depth. The books are substantially longer and contain much more information.

If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece takes you back to 350 B.C.. It teaches where the country is located and its capital and other cities. It describes that Greece is "the Cradle of Western Civilization" because it created the foundation for many countries for their government systems, literature, and philosophy. It talks about the Ancient Greeks' clothing, like a chiton, peplos, and toga. Almost every page spread talks about a Greek god, describing their names, appearance, and traits.

 
If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy focuses around the year 1483 in Tuscany. Popular names were Lorenzo and Cosimo for boys and Dolce and Lisabetta for girls. This was an important period of rebirth and inspired many famous artists, like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. Because Florence was the birthplace of the new movement and became known as "The Athens of the Middle Ages." The book gives a good understanding of how the people lived with a detailed drawing of a typical house and explanation. Common seasonings during that time were cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, saffron and pepper, along with oranges and lemons. It was a time of sporting events, festivals, and dances.  

If You Were Me and Lived in...Elizabethan England describes life in 1578 during the reign of Elizabeth I. This was the golden age for art and literature and saw an increase in exploration. The narrow, cobblestone streets were filthy as people threw dirt, garbage, and waste out the windows. Houses were half-timbered and made of wattle and daub and the floors were covered in straw. Middle class people ate mutton, sausage, cheese, stew, and bread. No one drank water, but chose ciders and ales instead. The clothing consisted of many layers, and laws stated what color each class of people could wear. The religion was determined by whomever was on the throne.

  
If You Were Me and Lived in...the Middle Ages focuses on 1072 in a small town in London, England. This book, at nearly 100 pages, is double the length of each of the other books. so there's a ton of information. It talks about names, like Geoffrey, Roul, Melisende, and Aalis, and explains how they determined surnames. It's written as if the reader is the daughter of a knight. It describes life in a castle with wealth, servants, a large family. It mentions the Crusades, the importance of the church, the classes of society and their occupations and how they lived.

I used these books as read-alouds with the kids. We spent days cuddling together on the couch, traveling back in time reading these stories. We talked about the pictures and compared to how differently people lived back then. The books contain a brief overview of each period and leave it open for further study. We spent much time discussing the information. The author, Carole P. Roman, offers many free printables and worksheets to accompany the books and lists other resources, as well. We haven't started the Middle Ages book yet, as I know that one we can easily spend weeks working through with all the details included.   

The back of each book contains a glossary of people, places, and things that are pertinent to that time and place. Each one also has a section about important or famous people and a description for each. These resources can be used as a spring board for further study.

Here's what my kids had to say about the books:

"I liked learning how people used to live."

"I liked learning what foods they ate and what they did. I liked learning their names."

"It was cool seeing how they dressed."

We learned some interesting bits of information like where the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" originated, who once considered  tomatoes poisonous, that chicken cost a penny at one point, and what was called "white gold." If you're looking for a way to teach your children about time periods in a fun, easy manner, these books will meet that need.

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If you'd like to read more reviews of these books or of some of the other titles offered, please visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

If You Were Me

It's always fun to learn about other parts of the world and how the people there live, to learn bits of the language, and the types of food. My kids are fascinated with other cultures. They love looking at maps, globes, and books. The love learning how differently others live. Naturally, we were all excited that Carol P. Roman with Away We Go Media sent us the first four books of her If You Were Me series to review.

 

Each book is dedicated to a specific country: If You Were Me and Lived in Mexico, If You Were Me and Lived in France, If You Were Me and Lived in South Korea, and If You Were Me and Lived in Norway (brand new title). They are around 25 pages each and are filled with bright, vibrant pictures. They feature a boy and a girl from their respective countries and give us a glimpse of their lives.

The books follow a distinct pattern. My kids enjoyed seeing the countries on the globe in the book, and then finding the countries on both our regular globe at home and the blow-up globe we received with the books.

After seeing the country on the map, you'll learn briefly about the capital city.
Did you know that Oslo, the capital of Norway, has 343 lakes?

Next, you'll learn what you may have been named if you had been born there. Since reading the Norway book, my oldest keeps begging me to rename him Gunnar. 
Can you guess where these names are popular: Clara, Minjoon, Alejandro, Birgitte? 

You'll learn what you'd call your parents in each country.
Do you know where you'd be from if you said Appa and Omma?

Then, you'll find out what kind of money you'd need to purchase things, like at a boulangerie, for instance.
My kiddos enjoyed looking at my pesos. Do you know in which country they are used?

Next, you'll learn some of the best places to visit.
Did you know that Chichen Itza has 365 steps, one for every day of the year?

After all that knowledge, you're sure to be hungry. You can decide which country's food you'd like best.
You could try a vafler topped with krem in Norway or bulgogi and kimchee in South korea.

You'll need to take time to play, too. So you'll learn the most popular sport and what to call a baby doll.
Football is popular in France, but do you know what we call the same sport in America? 

You'll read about a special holiday celebrated in each country.
Have you ever worn hanbok while celebrating Seo-nal?

Finally, you'll learn the word for school in each language.
Can you match the words--skole, escuela, école, haggyo--to the countries?

The last page in each book is filled with the pronunciations of the foreign words used. I found the pronunciations helpful, and my children loved repeating the words after me.

This group of books is such a fun series and is a good introduction to cultures around the world. Each book can be purchased for around $9.00 and is geared for kids preK-8 years. My kids fall into that age range, and they all enjoyed reading these with me. I would often find them flipping through the pages on their own and they would request them frequently. If you're looking for something to broaden your children's view of the world, the If You Were Me series will meet that need.   

You can read more reviews of these books on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.