Children’s Book Review: If You Were Me and Live in Renaissance Italy/Elizabethan England by Carole P. Roman

IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN….RENAISSANCE ITALY

By: Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by: Silvia Brunetti

Published: May 6, 2016

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Non-Fiction

It has been awhile since I read anything about the Renaissance time period. I am aware of the number of artists that came out of that time but knew little about the way of life for families. Roman shares how a merchant family would live in Florence during the time of the Renaissance period. Like her other books, she offers examples of names given to children, type of food eaten, and the type of schooling that children would receive. She delves into the culture of the area including what you would do for fun and how the economy would work for both merchants and servants. The style of clothing and the many layers worn by girls and women would surprise young girls today.

I am used to Roman’s books being high quality, but this one has several misspelled words. So, I am hoping I just got an early copy and the books available for purchase have been cleaned up. Otherwise, the research and way of explaining the details for elementary-aged children is spot on.

Brunetti’s artwork fits the time period perfectly with its muted colors and meticulous detail to clothing and buildings. She is definitely a talented artist.

I found much that I learned while reading the book. The biographical pages and glossary in the back offer more explanations of famous people and definitions for the more interested reader.

IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN…ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

By: Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by: Paula Tabor

Published: March 21, 2016

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Non-Fiction

Roman has found a way to teach children about our great history in a fun and engaging way. Most elementary-aged children have no idea when the Elizabethan time period was or frankly, had most likely never even heard of it. Through this series, Roman is introducing children to an important piece of the history that formed our world.

Children would be surprised to learn how small the homes were and the children usually shared beds with their siblings. Now it seems rare for children to even share a room with their sibling.

I never knew that the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.” came from this time period. I always wondered what it meant and Roman shares that in this book. Again, the number of clothing layers would likely surprise most children, especially in the summer. I think they will be grateful that clothing styles have changed considerably.

 Tabor has done an excellent job of creating detailed pictures pertinent to the time period. Expressions on faces and details in scenery and clothing give children much to look at while reading through the book.

Having this background of the Elizabethan Era will help students as they begin to learn about William Shakespeare in school. The biography of famous people and glossary in the back of the book will also offer more information for children who would like to know more.

Carole P. Roman

Award winning author Carole P. Roman is a former teacher turned businesswoman. She has successfully run a family business with her husband. Her most favorite job is being a grandmother to her many grandchildren. She currently lives on Long Island with her husband. Carole has written several books for children including the IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN…series as well as a fiction series for children, CAPTAIN NO BEARD involving lots of fun adventure and imagination. For more on Carole, visit her website, caroleproman.com. You can see all of my reviews for Roman’s books by clicking,HERE.  To see all her books, click HERE. 

To purchase a copy of IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN RENAISSANCE ITALY, click the photo below:

To purchase a copy of IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND, click the photo below:

I’ll be linking up this review with Booking Mama’s Kid Konnection. Every Saturday, Kid Konnection offers bloggers a place to share their posts related to children’s and YA books. Click HERE to see these posts.

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A post from today, 2 years ago – READ PINK in Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
A post from today, 1 year ago – Banned Books Week – My Opinion

Thanks to the author for sending copies of these books for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.