If You Were Me and Lived in...Scotland

Travel to Scotland and learn about life and culture from a child’s perspective.

In the latest addition to her If You Were Me and Lived In… series—previous volumes focused on Greece, Mexico, and other countries of the world—Roman whisks young readers to Scotland and provides an overview of what life is like for kids their age. Roman approaches her task by considering what kids will find interesting, beginning with the geography and history of the country, such as noting that Edinburgh is called the “Athens of the North” because its architecture was inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. She talks about toys, sports, and, of course, Loch Ness, the mythical monster lurking in the deep. She also describes traditional clothing, typical names for Scottish kids, and what kids call their parents. Roman also covers traditional food—“You would love to finish your meal with a Scottish tablet which is a fudge-like candy. Perhaps you’d like a clootie (cloo-tee) dumpling instead. It is a sweet pudding filled with raisins, sugar, milk, and syrup. Yum!” The detailed writing, which includes a key to pronouncing unfamiliar words, is easy to follow, and the intercontinental connections are clearly, entertainingly made. Roman asks lots of questions that will keep kids engaged and thinking about their own customs, while photographs and brightly colored illustrations provide a visual glimpse of Scottish culture. When combined with Roman’s other volumes, this volume can help kids understand their place in the world and inspire them to travel and see more of the globe firsthand.

An engaging primer on Scottish culture that can teach kids how similar their lives are to their peers’ around the world.