Renaissance Italy
"If you were me and lived in Renaissance Italy, you would have been born over five hungdren years ago around the year 1483..." In Renaissance Italy most children didn't go to school, diseases was widespread, architecture took on daring new styles, you might have eaten rabbit stew, and clothing was a display of status.
Art in the Renaissance Era included Greek and Roman mythology, historical subjects, and portraits. Leonardo Da Vinci's, Mona Lisa, is one of the famous portraits of that this.
At the end of the book a section entitled, Famous People from the Italian Renaissance, features famous artist biographies such as Donatello, Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
At the end of the book is a glossary which includes words that may be unfamiliar to your child. An example is:
Chiaroscuro (chi-a-ro-scu-ro) - the contrasting of light and shadow
in artwork giving it character and depth.
This book is 53 pages in length.
"If you were me and lived in Elizabethan England, you would have been born over four hundred years ago in about the year 1578." Why is it called the Elizabethan Era? The time period is named that because this was when Elizabeth I ruled as queen of England. The queen sent out explorers to discover new lands and bring back goods. William Shakespeare's literary works were born. It was the golden age of art and literature. London was busy and was home to the only bridge at the time. Sanitation was sorely lacking.
Get ready, because you ate twice a day! Lunch and an evening meal were the norm. You probably dined on stewed meats, turnips, and potatoes. Beware, tomatoes were considered poisonous. If you liked the sweet taste of sugar you had to grate it from cone-shaped loaves. The currency of the day was: a penny, shilling, and pound.
You will read about Important people to know in Elizabethan Era such as Sir Francis Drake, Francis Bacon, and William Shakespeare.
In the glossary you will find meaning to words such as:
Bartholomew baby (Bar-thol-o-mew bay-bee) - a wooden doll.
The book is 50 pages in length.
Ancient China
"If you were me and lived in Ancient China, you would have been born almost nine-teen hundred years ago in the year 150 AD." This period of time was during the Han dynasty. Did you know that the Han dynasty was one of the longest dynasties lasting over 400 years!! Chang'an was a busy city and the home to the important trade route called the Silk Road. Your home had a special place set aside to honor ancestors in your family. Depending on where you lived you may have eaten millet, rice, meat, and seafood. Confucianism was the religion you practiced. The most important tenet of Confucianism was revering your ancestors. The calendar was represented by one of twelve animals. The year that you were born had special meaning and you were told that you possessed traits of the animal represented by that year.
Important People in Ancient China included Emperor Han Mindgi, Genghis Khan, and Hau Mulan.
The glossary includes words such as:
Confucius (Kuhn-few-shuhs) - (551-479 BC) - China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have influenced the civilization of East Asia.
This book is 76 pages in length.
Ancient Greece
"If you were me and lived in Ancient Greece, you would be born around 2,300 years ago." This time was known as the Classical Period. Greece was ruled by the people by a system of politics called demokratia. You worshipped many gods. Zeus was the king of all gods. Your daily diet consisted of bread, cheese, olives, figs, and grapes. Meat and fish were only served on special feast days. No need for napkins! You wiped your hands on bread which was later given to the dogs for their meal. The Olympics were created in Greece.
Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Greece included Hades, Aphrodite, Hestia, and Zeus.
The glossary contains such words as:
chiton (khit-on) - a long, bleached white shirt-like garment
worn by both men and women in Ancient Greece.
This book is 54 pages in length.
Thoughts and Use
I read these books to my 3rd and 5th grade children. I absolutely adore these books!! I prefer to take the more classical, literature based approach to learning history. In our homeschooling we READ A LOT of books to learn history. These books are fabulous. They kept my kiddos attention and provoked lots of questions and further learning into each of these time periods.
My 3rd grader liked the Renaissance Italy book the most. My 5th grader did not have a favorite. She loved all of them. The text is written so that the elementary age student can understand and comprehend. Each book is full of interesting facts and insights into these time periods.
These books are the perfect lead in to possible lap books, crafts, and further in depth reading about a plethora of subject matter just waiting to be explored.
I would highly recommend these books to parents, homeschoolers, and educators. I will most definitely be purchasing more of Carole P. Roman's books.
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