If You Were Me and Lived in… Book Review & Activities

By Julie Yeros

Our mission at Globe Trottin’ Kids is teaching children about world geography and cultures, so we were thrilled to receive these four books from author Carole P. Roman to review for Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

If You Were Me and Lived in…

Carole P. Roman‘s series explores ancient civilizations throughout history. The format is engaging, placing the reader back in time and using rich details to introduce the landscape and the culture. Soft, muted illustrations by Mateya Arkova (in three of the books) provide the sense of looking at the past, while Silvia Brunetti uses bold colors and includes photographs of art in Renaissance Italy.

Each book covers a variety of topics including family, type of home, food, clothing, jobs, social and political structures, entertainment, and inventions. Several famous people from the period are featured in the back of the book, along with a thorough glossary to support students with definitions and pronunciations as they encounter new vocabulary.

While the books are written for an upper elementary level reader, they would make a great read aloud for a younger audience (skipping over the areas that are beyond their grasp). Kids of all ages, and adults, will find new and interesting information about a time and a place very long ago.

Disclosure: We received complimentary copies of the books for review purposes; however, all opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Explore Ancient Civilizations

If You Were Me and Lived in … Viking Europe

You might be a boy named Ulf (“wolf”) who hunted whales and seals with your dad. You probably enjoyed many activities for fun, including throwing spears, shooting a bow and arrow, and juggling with knives. Your home would have been shaped similar to a ship with oval sides and a fire pit in the center.

If You Were Me and Lived in … the Ancient Mali Empire

You might be a girl named Mariam who lived near the royal palace and enjoyed when the great king left for rides to visit his kingdom. You were dressed in the vibrant colors of traditional designs and wore a grisgris (lucky charm) around your neck, under your dress. Salt from the Sahara Desert and gold from the mines were important products from your country and brought many traders.

If You Were Me and Lived in … Ancient China: The Han Dynasty

You might be a boy named Yang, living in a busy city, studying poetry and calligraphy. Your parents had several slaves working in the house, helping your mother and grandmother with the chores. Your favorite possession was the dragon kite you flew with your grandfather, and you wanted to be a noodle maker when you grew up.

If You Were Me and Lived in … Renaissance Italy

You might be a girl named Lisabetta, living a privileged life in Firenze (Florence). You lived in a home called a palazzo and loved to go shopping in the marketplace in town. You loved music, dancing, art, and dressing in fine silk dresses.

Download our FREE note-taking guide for students to use while reading any of the books in the ancient civilization series.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/17) is in its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity and to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that.

Current Sponsors: MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle, Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books

Author Sponsor include: Karen Leggett Abouraya, Veronica Appleton, Susan Bernardo, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Maria Dismondy, D.G. Driver, Geoff Griffin, Savannah Hendricks, Stephen Hodges, Carmen Bernier-Grand,Vahid Imani, Gwen Jackson, Hena, Kahn, David Kelly, Mariana Llanos, Natasha Moulton-Levy, Teddy O’Malley, Stacy McAnulty, Cerece Murphy, Miranda Paul, Annette Pimentel, Greg Ransom, Sandra Richards, Elsa Takaoka, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato, Sarah Stevenson, Monica Mathis-Stowe SmartChoiceNation, Andrea Y. Wang

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also work tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.