Book Club: Review of Several Books by Carole P. Roman

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Our younger children love to read. So, we are always excited for the opportunity to review books in our homeschool. As we have previously reviewed books by Carole P. Roman, our first grader was so happy to look through all the books by Ms. Roman that we haven't yet read. Our family was able to pick four books from Carole P. Roman's assorted series:

• If You Were Me and Lived in...Peru 
• If You Were Me and Lived in...South Korea 
• If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece
• One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day 

How do you pick from so many GREAT books?

I sat down and took a look at the list of all of the books by Carole P. Roman to narrow down my picks before asking our children. Almost immediately, I was intrigued by One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day. I thought lessons of putting events into perspective would be a good one for our daughter. I also knew I would like to add to our collection of civilizations throughout history so we picked If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece which is full of history facts and gentle illustrations. And finally our first grader wanted two books from the Cultures Around the World series. He wanted to see what life was like for children in South Korea and Peru. 

How Did We Use The Books? 

With almost any books we receive, our first grader will read through them on his own before I even know he has done so. The first night after they arrived, I was busy and he read through both Peru and South Korea on his own. When asked if he liked them, he said, "They were really good." 

One evening shortly after the books arrived for review, I sat down with our daughter and read One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day. We took our time going through the book, examining the pictures and discussing what rank we would give experiences on the 1 to 10 scale of the rabbit. One stands for not so bad and ten represents the absolute worst. I am trying to continue to use the scale of 1 to 10 when our daughter gets upset so we can put the problems in perspective.

Our first grader is studying geography so we took time on separate days to read the books about life in South Korea and Peru. We talked about the different names and words used in both books and compared them to names and words used in America and in English.

It took more than a few days to read through If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece as it is a longer book with lots more details. For example, we were able to talk more about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece (as they are sprinkled throughout the text as well as contained in a glossary of names in the back of the book). And we were able to look up more information on the Olympics, the difference between the government of Ancient Greece and the United States of America, and Alexander the Great.  We also picked up some extra books from the library to read. (I love books that inspire us to read even more books!)

How Could You Use the Books in Your Homeschool? 

There are numerous ways in which homeschooling families can use these books during their day. Perhaps this is why so many homeschoolers love books! With books by Carole P. Roman, there is a great variety of ways to incorporate the books in your homeschool day: 

• As part of culture studies 
• As part of geography studies 
• As a starting point to research food from other nations 
• Visit art or history museums to view art pieces mentioned or shown the books 
• As part of history studies 
• As part of studying character traits 
• As read alouds 
• Bedtime reading 

What Did We Think? 

Personally, my favorite of the four was If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece. As you may know, I love history, so this was a fantastic add to our bookshelves. While I have other books about Ancient Greece, they are all written at middle school or above reading level. So this book is more easily accessible for our first grader. I also like that it has a pronunciation for each of the new names and terms to aid our children in reading the books aloud. 

Our first grader really enjoyed the two in the A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World series. He seems to gravitate towards studying geography and maps, so these made him quite happy. I appreciated that the books contain a pronunciation guide to help you read names and words that may be unfamiliar. (This also allowed us to work on proper pronunciation and learning how to use those guides with our son.)

I asked our son what his favorite part was in the series and he pointed out the last page where it says: "So you see, if you were me, how life in Peru could really be." These two pages are in each of the Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World series that we have read with the name of the country changed, of course. He enjoyed reading about the history, the games, the food, the holidays, and about the culture in general.

My daughter enjoyed One to Ten: Squirrel's Bad Day. She felt sorry for the animal characters when we read about their bad experiences including when fox slipped on the ice, when the frog did poorly in school, and the when the squirrel's hamster died. I liked that we could talk about bad days and how to properly handle them in relation to imaginary characters she could relate to.

Do You Want to Learn More about Carole P. Roman? 

Don't forget to check out the other reviews by members of the Homeschool Review Crew! With so many great books to pick from, you will be sure to read about one you might love, too!

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Engaging History: Middle Ages

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For Day Three of the 5 Days of....Homeschool Blog Hop, I will share activities, journal-writing opportunities and questions, ways to include geography, music, and literature in your lessons, and projects for your children to complete to help bring the Middle Ages alive. I urge parents to preview books, movies, and other resources and references prior to sharing with your children. Only you, as the parent, know what your children are ready to read or view in a movie.


For many years, historians referred to the Middle Ages as "the Dark Ages" because they only saw it as a period of time between the wonders of the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Romans and those of the Renaissance. It was seen as a period when people were superstitious and were making no advancements in technology, art, or literature. This is far from the truth!

There are several resources I want to share with you to bring the Middle Ages to life for your children. One resource which provides lots of information is If You Were Me and Lived in...the Middle Ages written by Carole P. Roman and illustrated by Mateya Arkova. This children's book, perfect for an elementary-aged child, details life for a young girl living in the year 1072 in England. There is so much interesting information that even parents might learn a few new facts about the Middle Ages!

Middle Ages Activities 

• Vocabulary – Fiefdoms, Knights, Vassals! What do these words mean? 
• Build or draw a castle based upon the Motte and Bailey design. Be sure to label the different parts! 
• Talk about family trees. During the Middle Ages families often had a very complicated family tree as death was a frequent companion. Use the family described in If You Were Me and Lived in...The Middle Ages to create a family tree or draw your own family tree. 
• Do your children like music? Why not take a listen to music created during the Middle Ages? Listen to Gregorian chants or the music of troubadours as they share famous stories of the time. 
• Research the battles of the era. Draw maps, create dioramas, etc. Have fun! 

• Research some of the famous individuals who lived during the Middle Ages and create your own Middle Ages 'Baseball' Cards collection. Who was Hildegard of Bingen, Clovis, William the Conqueror or Joan of Arc? Do you and your children know who Bede, Eleanor of Aquitaine, or Christine de Pizan were? What about Charlemagne or Charles the Great? So many interesting characters to study. 
• For teens and adults you can read Einhard's biography of Charlemagne (The Life of Charlemagne). Einhard was a contemporary of Charlemagne. Or one can read The Letters of Abelard and Heloise – Letters between a scholarly French monk and his pupil (who eventually becomes a nun) from twelfth-century France. 
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• Design and create your own tapestry. (I have made the Tapestry Directions and Rubric that I used when teaching World History available for you.) 
• Plan and cook a traditional meal of the Middle Ages. 
• Design, plan, and sew period-piece clothing. 
• Design and create your own coat of arms. (I have made the Coat of Arms Directions and Rubric that I used when teaching World History available for you.) 
• Write a "Day in the Life" report for one of the following individuals: nobleman, member of the clergy, a peasant, or a merchant. 
• Visit an art museum to see some works from the Middle Ages. 
• For older teens and adults, you can view Blackadder Season One which is set in the time of Richard III of England. There is some crude humor so please use your own discretion as to whether or not you wish to view and share with your older teens. 

Resources and References 

BBC – Wales – History – Motte and Bailey Castles 

Fleur-de-lis Designs: Symbolism of Heraldic Colors, Furs, Lines, & Ordinaries

Heraldry Crests: Symbolism of Heraldry

The Met's How Medieval and Renaissance Tapestries Were Made 

Please visit the links below to read more posts from the Homeschool Review Crew as we come together for the 5 Days of...Homeschool Blog Hop during the week of April 23, 2018. And make sure to stop back here each day this week for more great ways to bring history to life with books, movies, and more! 

A Review of Three Selections from the Award-Winning Author Carole P. Roman

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My family are huge fans of history, so children's books that focus upon history, culture, and geography like those from the Carole P. Roman books and collections are perfect for expanding knowledge about far away places or times. I was very happy to review three books by Carole P. Roman from the Carole P. Roman books and collections that would introduce our children to the culture of Hungary and the histories of Colonial America and the American West.

We reviewed the following three books:

If You Were Me and Lived in...Hungary: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World

If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time 
            illustrated by Sarah Wright

If You Were Me and Lived in...the American West: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time
            illustrated by Paula Tabor

If You Were Me and Lived in...Hungary: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World, introduced our children to the sights and sounds of modern day Hungary. We learned about the capital, Budapest, names for different members of the family, vacation spots, food, holidays, sports, and even the inventor of the Rubik's cube.

I think one of my favorite parts of the book was that there was a pronunciation guide not only in the back of the book but also with the naming of each Hungarian word on each page. For example, while discussing food at your grandma's house, the pronunciation for Nagyi (Na-dges) or grandma, goulash (goo-lash), and paprika (pap-reek-ca) is all provided within the story's text making it really easy to read aloud to your children.

Our four-year-old son liked learning about the different names of of children living in Hungary - like Lazlo or Erzse-bet. Our two-year-old daughter liked the picture of the children in front of the Hungarian Parliament. I think she really liked the little boy and girl smiling at her.

The book opens many conversation topics - one of which was talking about how our family has enjoyed goulash and other meals that are seasoned with paprika. Another conversation we had was about water polo and handball, both of which we enjoy watching during the Olympics.

Both books in the If You Were Me and Lived in...An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time series, were longer than If You Were Me and Lived in...Hungary: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World, so we spread those out to more than one sitting with our two- and four-year olds. A ten- to eleven-year-old history-loving child would have no problem reading through these entire books in one sitting, though.

If You Were Me and Lived in...Colonial America: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time, introduced our children to the world of pilgrims and settlers who arrived in America on the Mayflower. We learned about their journey to America, how they built their homes (with wood, daub, and wattle), and their daily lives (tending chickens, mending, cooking, or working in the fields).

Our four-year-old son's favorite part was where the little boy made friends with the Native American boy who taught him about fishing, while my two-year-old daughter liked the part where the family faced their first December in America. In fact, she kept finding that picture and saying "Brrr, they are cold."

Personally, I can't wait to re-read this book during November as we talk about Thanksgiving. It will provide a great anchor for lessons about Plymouth and the first Thanksgiving. With the vocabulary provided as well as the brief biographies of historical figures, our family has lots that we can learn from this book by Carole P. Roman.

If You Were Me and Lived in...the American West: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time, our children journey with Carole P. Roman and Paula Tabor as they took us on a journey across America to Oregon.

When we started looking at the book, If You Were Me and Lived in..the American West, my son and I talked about maps of the United States so we could plot the journey of the settlers. In fact, I think that would be the only change I would make to the book - add a map showing the trails - but then again our four-year-old is a map enthusiast so it might just be a feature that only our family would appreciate.

Our four-year-old son's favorite part was learning how the family crossed the rivers they encountered - the Platte and the Columbia Rivers. Our two-year-old daughter's favorite part was hearing about the different foods they brought with them on their journey. And they both liked hearing about the gathering of buffalo chips! I think my favorite part of If You Were Me and Lived in...the American West were the details regarding how each day was spent by the children and parents. Being able to compare our daily activities to those of early settlers is a plus for this history-teacher-turned-homeschool-mom.

All three books present so many opportunities for families to create individualized lessons for their children. For example, I used the vocabulary list from the American West book to introduce my four-year-old to new words. We talked about blacksmiths, bonnets, outhouses, and homesteads among other vocabulary words and practiced writing and spelling them. If our children were older, I would probably have them create their own model of a Conestoga wagon and perhaps even sew their own period-appropriate clothing. Our son did draw his own Conestoga Wagon with a bit of guidance from me after we read the book.

Drawing a picture of a Conestoga Wagon. Coloring in the the patches on the canvas.

I would recommend If You Were Me and Lived in...Hungary: A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World to families with children as young as our two-year-old daughter. While children ages seven to nine may be able to read the book independently, younger children can listen or read along with their parents or older siblings and learn about places and cultures around the world. I think this book would be a great place to start when discussing the geography of Europe.

I recommend the If You Were Me and Lived in...An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time series of books to families with children four-years to twelve-years-old. These books are more detailed with a plethora of vocabulary, people, places, and events to interest young students of history. They are fantastic additions to any family's library because of their attention to detail. And because they are written from the perspective a child who lived in that time period, your own children feel as if they are right alongside their new friends in the past.

There is only one objection I have in regards to the books (other than the lack of maps but, as I said, we are a map-loving family): each book that we reviewed is told from the perspective of a boy. (Information is provided for the lives of both boys and girls and moms and dads, but – when reading the stories.

Edit: The two history books we reviewed are told from the perspective a boy but there are others in the series (If You Were Me and Lived in...Elizabethan England for example) that are told from a girl's point of view. And after a quick re-read of If You Were Me and Lived in...Hungary, I now see that it is told from the point of view of both children narrating the tale.

Looking through If You Were me and Lived in...the American West before bedtime.

Having enjoyed these three books so much, we will be looking for others in the If You Were Me and Lived in...An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time series. For example, we will be looking for If You Were Me and Lived in...Renaissance Italy: And Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time and If You Were Me and Lived in...Ancient Greece: An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time.

To read more about books by Carole P. Roman, please visit this review from 2020.

To learn more about the Carole P. Roman books and collections please visit the following:

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