Shelf Unbound October/November 2013 October 2013 | Page 61

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hile on a family vacation in Las Vegas, the many different themes of the hotels were observed by my 4-yearold grandson. We discussed the pyramids of Egypt, the Coliseum in Rome, and the Eiffel Tower. We walked the strip and
sampled crepes and other specialties of that area. When we
got home, we looked up these places on the computer and it
started a wonderful journey around the world to observe the
differences in our cultures. I wrote If You Were Me and Lived
In?...?Mexico—A Child’s Introduction to Culture Around the
World that evening. 
I wanted to keep it simple, just enough to whet an inquiring
mind, but not bore the child or parent into rushing though a
book. Each page was hard to edit, as I learned fascinating
facts on places I’ve never been. The book’s purpose is to
open the door and let the parent or educator decide how
much they want to explore. Each page can be a topic or project, discussing the currency—what does it tell us about that
country? Is it rich or poor bas ed on the weight of the money?
Agricultural or industrial? What kind of government do you
think it has? What have you tasted from this country? Do
you think it’s rural? If they eat a lot of fish—what do you think
that means? Are the names familiar? The holidays? Would
you like to play with their games and toys? Where would you
take a visitor in this country and why? Each subject is elastic
enough to interest a wide variety of age groups and interests.
The funny thing is that most parents have written that they
have learned new information as well!
We live in a global world and need to communicate with
each other better.   If children learn to appreciate our differences at a young age, perhaps in some way it will promote
tolerance. I stayed away from politics and religion in order to
not press a hot button, but certainly parents can take it a step
further if they are comfortable.
I love this series and have enjoyed discovering so much
information about the world. People have been wonderfully
forthcoming when I ask them questions about their homeland, and I love their pride. Mexico, France, South Korea,
Norway, Turkey, and Kenya are published. I tried to reach for
the “four corners” of the earth and not pick countries that I
am familiar with. I was asked by friends to include India and
Australia, which are in production. I hope to keep going and
try to do every country I can. Happy exploring!
—Carole P. Roman
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