Can I Build Another Me?

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Some children are more than happy to wear their heart on their sleeve, whereas others may be much more reticent. A vital closing part to this session should be the opportunity for children to share their work with each other in the class, perhaps randomising it in some way so that they are not necessarily just sharing with their best friends.

The book invites readers on a whimsical journey that follows a young boy’s desire to create a robot clone of himself. Some kids might point out birthmarks or scars, some of them might talk about trapping their fingers, or about a special piece of jewellery they are wearing, or why they are wearing mehndi at the moment. Philosophy for children this certainly is: I lost count of how many times it opens up space for reflection and discussion. Kevin, a little boy fed up with doing things he doesn’t want to do, like homework and daily chores, decides to spend all his pocket money on a robot that he intends to turn into a clone of himself.I am interrogating the role of anecdotes in the classroom at the minute – I guess this is my little teaching preoccupation – and this book has a great scope for it. Younger classes will enjoy imagining what a robot close of themselves might look, act and feel like, while older children can get philosophical about the factors that have come together to make them who they are, or even about the potential ethics of cloning oneself (I’m sure overly busy teachers may also be tempted to wish for a clone! I leave traces of me”, Kevin admits, thinking of how his parents identify his mess or how his peers recognize his belongings. As you see, the simple idea of it is that different body parts are labelled and different facts or stories are linked to each. Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.

Soon, Kevin realizes that he is the embodiment of all his younger selves and although he was made by two parents, he created his own history and developed his particular characteristics. Follows a child's hilarious, wildly inventive train of thought as he decides to make a clone of himself and starts to ponder what makes him HIM. follows a child's hilarious, wildly inventive train of thought as he decides to make a clone of himself - and starts to ponder what makes him HIM. The boy lists everything that comes to his mind, from details about his family and particular features of his body, to many of the things he likes and dislikes. Either way, this is a really fun focal point for classrooms and one that works best if children are given enlarged or close-up access to the illustrations.

Often, the fact that some children are willing to share does prompt other children to be a bit more confident to reflect and share. Distrusting the apple’s convincing appearance, the child’s imagination spirals upwards and outwards into a madcap fantasy world – maybe it’s a star from outer space with tiny aliens on board?

I chose to go without glasses, but because I couldn’t see properly, I tried to take the wrong kids onto the slide, which was among the most excruciatingly awkward moments of my life. A loose set of lesson plans can be found here – I am going to use this when we get back with Year 4 over the course of the four lessons, one a fortnight, that I cover each class during their Creative Arts Day. Some really thoughtful artwork and picture books can be created by the class through a short sequence of lessons using this book, but more than this, the greatest strength is in the quality of discussion that can come about through getting the kids to create their own pages. The circle is just to cement the idea that we need to listen to each other, and make sure that everyone can see each other. I could have shared the weird feeling it gives me when I wear gloves for too long, which makes me feel like I am being suffocated.

It Might Be An Apple – The story follows a child’s hilarious, wildly inventive train of thought through all the things an apple might be if it is not, in fact, an apple.