Series Review
So You Want to Be a Roman Soldier?
So You Want to Be a Viking?
Written by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw
Illustrated by Takayo Akiyama
Expected publication date: September 3, 2019
T is fascinated by Vikings and likes his Roman Playmobil guys, so these have been on my radar. I thought they'd be too advanced for T, but they are a great fit. Thames and Hudson provided review copies in exchange for an honest review.
Mom's Review
I cannot think of a more fun way for grade-school kids to learn about Vikings and Roman soldiers! Each book guides three kids through training to be a warrior. The three kids include fierce Kate, confident Eddie, and hesitant Angus; each is a bit caricatured, which allows readers to laugh at them while also identifying with the different personas. The style is similar to a graphic novel, though the actual warring bits aren't too graphic. Tips, quizzes, and checklists accompany straight-up guidelines for being a Roman soldier or Viking warrior. Senior fighters advise and order the kids around in a humorous way while also conveying incredible amounts of accurate information. Anachronistic in presentation, the So You Want to Be a... books are easy to relate to, making the leap back in time believable. It's education in the guise of entertainment, and it's awesome!
Why I like reading these with T:
1. accurate information – The information presented walks the line between truthful and child-appropriate. I cannot stand books that water down content to the point of inaccuracy and misinformation.
2. short chapters – We can read a few sections at a time, jump around, or reread favorite sections. Since it's a guide book and not a novel, we could read the "Shopping for Your Gear" chapter before or after "5 Epic Places to Plunder Before You Die (Violently)."
3. guys and speech bubbles – T loves cartoon characters ("guys") with speech bubbles. The preponderance of "guys" in this series makes him so happy, which makes reading to him delightful. Can I call reading about marauding Vikings and Roman phalanx attacks "delightful"? Also, just to clarify, "guy" is a gender-neutral term to T.
4. interesting content – These books legitimately kept my interest. Some information was familiar, but I also learned a lot. And you know that if I am learning from T's books, I'm a happy mom.
Teacher's Note: I think I would have used So You Want to Be a Roman Soldier? as the basis for a simulation if I had had it when I was teaching. (First Egypt, now Rome. Seems like teaching is on my mind...)
Son's Review
(Age: 4)
T's favorite section is in the Viking book. If your honor was insulted, one way to restore it was to write a rude poem about your adversary. T's dad, uncle, and I have all been treated to lovely poems along the lines of, "Roses are red, violets are blue, and you smell like poo." T thinks this is hysterical. He has also been finding household objects to create a Viking ensemble almost daily for the past week, and Viking boats have been created out of LEGO bricks. (I thought I'd keep writing "Legos," but I feel compelled to stop after From an Idea to LEGO.)
T's dad, grandmother, and I have had to read and reread these books, and T peruses them independently. He particularly likes us to read the speech bubbles, and he likes pointing out and describing the funny illustrations, such as Eddie pushing a shopping cart filled with food to feed an army of Viking warriors.
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