Review of Carole P. Roman Books & Collections

When we heard about author Carole P. Roman, we decided to explore Carole P. Roman Books and Collections. What a great decision!

Do you want to learn about the history and culture of other nations?

Author Carole P. Roman has created a collection of books that you will enjoy reading to your children. Both  you and your children will enjoy learning about other places and historical times. 

Our books arrived at the end of February. It was perfect timing! In March, we dove into Europe in our homeschool geography co-op. Of course, I brought the three books to geography co-op. 

The books were cheerful, easy-to-understand, and fit perfectly in our studies. They were jam-packed with information, too!

We read If You Were Me and Lived in Germany, If You Were Me and Lived in Italy, and If You Were Me and Lived in Viking Europe. Let me tell you about all three books.

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If You Were Me & Lived In...

 If You Were Me and Lived in Germany by Carole P. Roman introduces us to the country of Germany. I loved this book! One reason is that I can't wait to visit Germany and this book covered so many things about the country of my ancestors came to America from. I read this book to my grandson who also found it fascinating. 

We learned about Euros that replaced the former German marks, the Berlin Wall, Neuschwanstein Castle built by Ludwig II, the world's largest miniature railroad, soccer, Oktoberfest, and pretzels. We put the book down and I explained to Rusty how a monk created the pretzel to represent praying hands. Then we kept reading. We learned about banking, cuckoo clocks, Saint Hildegard, a composer ("and also an abbess in a nunnery," I added to Rusty), and the Holy Roman Empire. We enjoyed talking about the food like Sauerbraten,  Wiener Schnitzel, and Apple Strudel. We talked about finding recipes and making those yummy foods. 

The book did a remarkable job of touching on so many aspects of German history. The only thing I would add would be a paragraph on Martin Luther and the Reformation.

Rusty and I really enjoyed If You Were Me and Lived in Germany.

​If You Were Me and Lived in Italy by Carole P. Roman was exciting to read to my grandson because I just got back last week from a tour of Italy. After we read the book, we looked at some of the photos from my trip. 

Carole takes us to Italy and as readers we experience what it would be like to live there. She talks about possible names we would have, where we would live, and all the fun things we would do in Italy like attend soccer games, eat gelato, visit the beach, and eat latte e pane with prosciutto e formaggio (ham and cheese sandwich). Carole also weaves information in about the founding of Rome, the Coliseum, and the Vatican. I enjoyed the illustrations that included several famous spots in Rome I recognized! My grandson and I loved the book! 

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Author Carole P. Roman

If You Were Me and Lived in Viking Europe by Carole P. Roman is another delightful picture book for children. This book was longer so I gave it to my friend Gracie (nine years old) to read after I read it first. Gracie enjoyed the book! 

I was amazed at how much I learned from this 76-page children's book. Carole is not wordy. She shares information clearly and in a way that is interesting to children and adults, too. 

Like the other two books, the author speaks to us personally to tell us what it would be liked if we lived back in time with the Vikings. We learn how we would dress, what our chores would be, what skills we would learn, what games we would play, and what foods we would eat. We have a father that is a hero with a saga written about him, a grandfather that owns two different ships, and our grandmother is an inciter. 

I loved learning that their houses were shaped like a ship and how important extended family was to the Vikings. It was interesting, too, to learn about the Jarls (wealthly Vikings), Karls (free farmers), and the Thralls (captured slaves from their raids in other places). At the end of the book, the author talks about the Viking idol/gods and famous Vikings. 

It would be interesting to add how the Vikings eventually accepted Christ and became Christians, which completely impacted their culture and character. Alfred the Great of England lead a group of invading Danish Vikings and their leader Guthrum to Christ in 878. Of course, not all were genuinely converted, but many embraced Christianity.

I loved the illustrations in all three books. Though the books have different illustrators and styles, the pictures are all child-friendly and attractive. All the children who looked at the books, read the books, and listened to the books at our homeschool co-op liked the pictures and stayed interested in the books until the end. My grandson, of course, wanted to hear each one again. And again. And again.

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There are other books in Carole P. Roman's collection that I would like to buy, read, and share with my children and grandchildren: If You Were Me and Lived in the Middle Ages, If You Were Me and Lived in the Elizabethan England, If You Were Me and Lived in the Colonial America, and If You Were Me and Lived in the American West. I can't help it! I love  history and I love beautifully illustrated picture books. 

How about you? Would you like to read her books and share them with  your children?

Check out Carole P. Roman on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Would you like to check out more reviews about the Carole P. Roman's Books & Collections? You can hop over to the Review Crew Blog and read more here. 

And how about my overall rating? I give If You Were Me and Lived in Germany, If You Were Me and Lived in Italy, and If You Were Me and Lived in Viking Europe a four-star rating. Her books are delightful! 

Until next time: Happy Homeschooling!
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For His Glory,
Meredith Curtis

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