Carole P. Roman has taken many a student on trips to various countries and cultures, through a series of engaging books that she has penned. This award winning author has over fifty books under her belt. Our family has enjoyed her stories in the past, and we were pleased to have another opportunity to visit a few more countries through her writing. She kindly provided us with a choice of several books from her Carole P. Roman's assorted series to read and review. We chose the following titles from the If You Were Me and Lived in...series :
if you were me and lived in...Colonial America (No typos here, the title is written in lower case)
If You Were Me and Lived In...Australia
If You Were Me and Lived In...South Korea
If You Were Me and Lived In...Israel
I suppose that it's obvious, but the theme of these books presents cultures from around the world. These are written for a younger audience. I would say kindergarten to early elementary would be the perfect range, although those younger will enjoy the colorful photos and illustrations, while older ones (even adults like me) will appreciate learning new words, popular foods, and interesting traditions.
All of the books we received are thin, glossy paperbacks. They range from approximately 25 pages, to 50+ pages. The print is larger, perfect for younger eyes, and my ever aging eyes, to be honest. Each book provides a convenient pronunciation guide in the back, allowing you to practice your new words and phrases. Let me show you a little bit from each of the books that we've been enjoying.
if you were me and lived in...Colonial America (Again, the lower case is intentional)
This first paperback is the longest, with over 50 pages. It starts with an overview of historical England, the religious views, and why the pilgrims left for America. The book then picks up with a look at what life was like as a Colonial. What did they eat? Where did they live? Did they play games, or have any fun at all?
Out of the four books we received, this packs in the most information, and would probably be better with the older readers. It isn't graphic at all, but does mention the death of some of the pilgrims that first winter, so if you have sensitive students, there's your heads up. Also, for those of you that are, well, teetotalers, there is a page that talks about the fact that a big thing that the pilgrim's missed was beer, as the water could be dangerous to drink. If this offends you, you could skip the page, or select a different title. This would be a good title to include in American History studies, or a Thanksgiving unit.
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| Signing the Mayflower Compact. |
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| Henry VIII created The Church of England, declaring himself as the head. |
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| A section at the end features people of interest during this time, including William Penn, Pocahontas, and Captain John Smith. |
If You Were Me and Lived In... Australia
This is one of two of the titles that we received that is a good fit for the younger ages. The print is very large, and there are 24 pages. One of the first things little readers will learn, is that Australia is not only a country, but also a continent. They will learn what a typical boy or girl might be named, and how they would address their mother and father. The book touches on the Great Barrier Reef, Australian currency, and what types of foods they would enjoy (Vegemite sandwich anyone?). What types of sports are played "down under", as the country is called? I thought Why is it even called the "down under" ? The pronunciation guide in the back provides extra help in reinforcing the text.
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| Did you know that Australia is both a country and a continent? |
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| Popular names in Australia might include Jack, Oliver, Charlotte, or Ruby. |
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| In Australia, a Barbie is not a doll, but what they call the grill! |
If You Were Me and Lived In...South Korea
This book was the choice of my oldest teen, as she is a fan of K pop. I don't know if I spelled that correctly, since I am now the uncool mom, lol. She has been dabbling in learning the Korean language, and enjoys learning about the culture. We no sooner had received the book in the mail, and she stole away with it. I told you that even older ages would enjoy learning about the various cultures in this series, hee hee. But I digress. This is also one of the four that we were given, that is well suited for the younger ones. Here again, the print is large, with fewer paragraphs per page. It is 27 pages long. Children will learn that South Korea is located in East Asia, where people have lived for over 2000 years. They will learn that a common name for a boy is Minjoon, or Jihoo, while a girl might be called Soobin, or Yeeun. It's always interesting to discover what a country's food is like, and here, we learn about bulgogi, or Korean barbecue, as well as kimchee and rice. Young readers might also find it fun to learn that chopsticks are the utensil of choice, rather than the forks that we use. Other facts include schools, holidays, and pasttimes. As with the others, the pronunciation guide in the back is helpful.
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| South Korea's Lunar Holiday is a favorite tradition. |
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| School is called haggyo in South Korea. |
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| The pronunciation guides are so helpful! |
If You WereMe and Lived In... Israel
This is the last of the four books in our collection here. With 31 pages, and a slightly smaller print than the last two books, this is a good choice for children further along in their reading. This selection takes us on a literary trip to the Middle East, where the State of Israel or Medinat Israel is located. It is considered the Holy Land by Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha'i faiths. In this book, you'll learn about one of the oldest cities in the world, Jerusalem. It draws millions of visitors every year. Everyone, no matter where you live, needs to shop, and a possible place to do so in Israel is the shouk, an open air market with everything from food to clothes. Make sure you have enough shekels to pay for your halav and lechem, that is, milk and bread. You'll make a stop at the Dead Sea, which is so salty that nothing can survive in it. Then you'll visit Tel Aviv, where you'll learn about more of the foods you might eat there. How about some falafel, made with ground chick peas and fried into balls ( I do love good falafel!), pita bread, grilled meat called shwarma, and fresh salads. I am now hungry, ha. Football is a popular sport, also known as soccer, to those of us in the U.S.A.. Did you know that in Israel, you read from right to left, instead of left to right, as we do in our part of the world? This book packs a lot of fascinating information in its pages.
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| I love how some of the illustrations in these books feature drawings over actual photos. |
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| The Dead Sea is visited by many people who believe that the salt is healing. |
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| The word for school in Israel, is biet safer, meaning "house of books". I like that. |
How can you use these books? They would be a helpful resource to enhance Unit Studies, History lessons, Geography lessons, Co-Ops, Enrichment classes, to name a few possibilities. You might also simply enjoy them as a great educational read aloud. Which title will you choose? As for me, it's a tough choice, because they're all wonderful. Check them out!
Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm glad you all enjoyed the books!
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