Little Homeschool on the Prairie: Carole P. Roman Book Review

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.

Are you ready to explore the world with some amazing books? One of our favorite children authors Carole P. Roman has a plethora of wonderful history and geography and culture books with her Carole P. Roman's assorted series.

I received four physical books from the A Child’s Introduction to Culture Around the World:

If You Were Me And Lived in… Israel

If You Were Me And Lived in…Germany

If You Were Me And Lived in…France

If You Were Me And Lived in…Poland

Carole P. Roman’s Culture Series are intended for ages 3-9. Older kids will be interested in the books also-I know my teenagers still love them. The books are told from a child perspective which draws them in to the stories as they relate to other kids around the world just like them.

All Culture Series books all have the same format within the pages. Some of the things that are taught throughout are:

What is the Capital City of that county?

What would your name be if you lived in this country?

What you would call your father or mother.

What type of money would you use in one of the countries?

What kinds of foods would you likely eat?

What about sports that is popular in that country?

What is a favorite place to visit in the country?

What about a Holiday or Festival that is done in your country.

What kind of school would you attend?

At the back of all the books you have a Pronunciation Guide of all the vocabulary within the book.

The illustrations show you places in that countries, activities, foods, and other fully colored illustrations throughout the pages.

If You Were Me And Lived in… Israel

Shalom and welcome to the eretz Yizrael (land of Israel). We find out that Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Baha’i consider Israel the Holy land!

We visit Jerusalem and the old walled city were Suleiman the Magnificent built the wall around this ancient city and divided into four neighborhoods known as the Christian, Armenian, Muslim, and Jewish quarters.

If you’re a child you might be named Noah, Yosef, Talia, or Shira. You call your mom Ima and your father Abba. You go shopping in the shouk and pay in shekels.

You visit the lowest spot on Earth the Dead Sea but you won’t go fishing here maybe just float in it.

You go to your grandparent’s house in Tel Aviv and eat a tradition dish of falafel and lots of fresh vegetable salads. You have a plate of shwarma and maybe Shnitzel. Humus is always on the table and for dessert baklava.

Football is a popular sport but in America it is called soccer. Krav Maga is an important self defense course taught in Israel.

Shalom and welcome to Israel. My son is enjoying revisiting familiar place and the culture.

My family is ready to go back to Israel!

If You Were Me And Lived in…Germany

We learned that we would call it Deutschland and would be located in the northeastern part of Europe. The word Germany comes from a Germanic word meaning folk or people. You are part of the European Union and that Germany has sixteen states.

Berlin is the largest city in Germany and has been extremely important city for centuries due to it being a crossroad of two vital trade routes. We also learn that in 1990 a wall came down splitting the county in half since World War II.

Some popular names are Lukas, Johan, Maximillian, Lena, Anna, and Emilia. You might ride in a Fahrrad and a Puppe. You call your grandparents Oma and Opa’s.

We learn about Neuschwanstein in the Bavarian mountains which the castle was built in 1869-1886. It still has a throne room you can visit.

Some of your favorite foods are Sauerbraten, knodel, Wiener Schnitzel, and for dessert you eat Apfelstrudel. You play Fussball which is called soccer in America.

Germany sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

If You Were Me And Lived in…France

Welcome to France. We learn that Paris is the first city in Europe to use gas lamps to light its streets which is why Paris is called the “City of Lights.” We didn’t know that information prior to reading the book.

Some popular names are Hug, Mattieu, and Theo if you are a boy. If you are a girl your name might be Collette, Jacqueline, or Clara. You would pay for your boulangerie in Euros.

You take visitors to see the Eiffel tower that was built in 1889. You love to eat crepes and play soccer but we would call it football. You enjoy celebrating French National Day with parades and fireworks.

My son enjoyed learning about France and the culture of it.

France sounds like a yummy and fun place to visit. My son said, "This time around

If You Were Me And Lived in…France was my favorite book in the ones we received." "I think it's because I want to learn French as a foreign language."

If You Were Me And Lived in…Poland

This time we find ourselves in Central Europe. You call Poland - Pokska which was founded in 1025. Poland constitution was written in 1791 which was the first in Europe and the second constitution written in the world.

You might live in Warsaw on the banks of Wisla. A legend says that a fisherman got the name Warsaw (Wars) when he fell in love with a mermaid. That is why you see statues of mermaids in the city and is the cities official seal.

One of Poland’s most famous composer is Fryderyk Chopin’s. Some names for boys are Marek, Filip, and Jakub. For girls you might be called Weronika, Ewa, or Karolina.

You pay for your food with zloty. You love visiting the Wielicza Salt Mine located on the outskirts of Krakow. There is an underground city carved in the rock and you can visit the chapel. You can see both ancient and modern statues down there.

You love to eat homemade noodles called makaron or a stew called bigos or some peirogi. There are lots of outdoor activities like sledding, ice hockey, skiing, and bird-watching.

You like learning about a famous 16^th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus at szkola.

Poland sounds like a fascinating place to visit.

What can you do with A Child’s Introduction to Culture Around the World in your homeschool?

These books are rich and can be used in so many ways! They make a wonderful unit study. You can create a lapbook or notebook page with these. The books can be added to any other curriculum, as a way to enhance learning about another place and or culture. My favorite is a school research paper for kids just learning how to write research papers. The books give you just enough information to not overwhelm you with facts and information. At the same time it is a great jumping point to dig deeper into the country and culture.

This time around my two teenagers read the books themselves a few times over the last few weeks. The books read quickly. We talked a lot about If You Were Me And Lived in… Israel one since this is a place we have visited. We were familiar with the foods and places mentioned in the book.

My daughter is reading If You Were Me And Lived in…Poland. She needed help with some of the words in all the books.

My 17 year old is a struggling reader and needed lots of help with many of the unknown words. Other than that the words were fairly easy for her to read in the books. My daughter said, "I think going to Poland and looking for the statues and birds there would be a lot of fun." "I want to see an underground city!"

I enjoyed pulling out photos when I lived in Germany and France as a kid to share with my kids.

A Child’s Introduction to Culture Around the World are fascinating books for kids to discover our world. Carole P. Roman also has a wonderful history series that you should check out.