Title: If You Were Me and Lived in… Viking Europe
Author: Carole P. Roman (Author), Mateya Arkova (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s Books, Non-Fiction, History
Hop in our time travel machine and join Carole P. Roman as she visits a Viking settlement in the year 890 AD.
Learn what your name could be and the kind of food you might eat. Read about the different levels of society, how they affect where you would live, and the type of clothing you might wear.
Mateya Arkova’s beautiful illustrations illustrate what Vikings ate and their children did for fun.
If You Were Me and Lived in.. Viking Europe is an exciting trip that shows a colorful culture through the eyes of a child.
Carole P. Roman is back with a well-timed book all about the Vikings and what life was like for them. It’s the year 870 AD and if you were a little Viking, you’d probably be living in a small town near water in what’s known today as Norway. While Vikings were known as barbarians who plundered and conquered foreign lands and people, by the late 800’s AD the Viking people were settling down and farming the land.
Here are some fun facts about Viking Europe:
Each name meant something. So whether you were a boy or a girl, your name carried a special meaning.
Vikings were coastal people and were excellent traders. Everything from weapons to pottery to clothing to food were traded.
Vikings were known throughout the world for traveling far from home and establish towns in far-reaching lands.
The only coins minted by the Vikings were pennies.
Viking society had three classes: wealthy, free peasants/farmers and thralls (captured people who did all the hard labor and were horribly treated, also called slaves).
Your home was shaped like a ship and close to thirty people (most of which were your extended family) also lived with you.
The Viking diet consisted mostly of seafood and unlike other societies, food was bountiful. Fruit, nuts, cheeses, sausage, porridge, bread, berries and ale were enjoyed as well.
The winters were harsh and extra food, clothing, blankets were imperative to survive. Summer was the season when everyone prepared for the upcoming winter.
The Viking alphabet consisted of 24 characters called runes. Each character had a name and represented both sound and an item.
Like the Greeks, the Vikings worshipped many gods. In order to keep the gods happy, you gave gifts/offerings. Apples were considered magical so it was important to eat apples to grow strong, like the gods.
This is an incredible book full of historical and cultural facts about the Vikings and what we now call Scandinavians. I learned so much and I know children will love it, too. Such a fantastic way to teach history to kids! A must-read and the illustrations are engaging.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it now:
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born.”Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life” has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. “Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience” Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca’s Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series. This year, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis was named to Kirkus Best 2015. The entire cultural non-fiction series If You Were Me and Lived in… was named Best Series by Shelf Unbound. She has begun work on two new series that will be released in early 2016.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be.
Her new non fiction series, “If You Were Me and Lived in…” combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, “If You Were Me and Lived in…Mexico” has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children’s Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca’s Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in…Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in …France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in…France for best in children’s non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.
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Reviewed by: Mrs. N