I shared how I have always bitten my nails, and my Dad really hates it (always has) and he threatened to put English Mustard on my fingernails if I didn’t stop. Some children are more than happy to wear their heart on their sleeve, whereas others may be much more reticent.

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. Each page shows something different, such as his Likes and Dislikes and the Things I Can and Can’t Do. Often, the fact that some children are willing to share does prompt other children to be a bit more confident to reflect and share. 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.Being able to tell a story, in the form of anecdote, is a valuable social skill, a form of confidence building, and it is also supportive of an understanding of storytelling more generally. Bursting with imaginative illustrations, this thought-provoking book offers an engaging and enjoyable experience that not only sparks discussion but also serves as an ideal catalyst for exploring the concept of each person’s distinct uniqueness.

A few months ago I recommended you Yoshitake’s It Might Be An Apple, a beautiful piece on perception and first impressions and now I am happy to talk about Can I Build Another Me?The book invites readers on a whimsical journey that follows a young boy’s desire to create a robot clone of himself.

I cannot remember exactly who first mentioned this book on Twitter a few years ago, but to whoever it was, I am eternally grateful. He realizes the diversity of the feelings he has, the intensity of the dreams he grows, the joy of interacting with different people and the secrecy of some of his most intimate thoughts. Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.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. 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. As you see, the simple idea of it is that different body parts are labelled and different facts or stories are linked to each.

I could share – and I have just thought of this now, and this is the kind of free flowing retrieval of anecdotes that this lesson is all about – the time when I was taking a group of kids to the swimming baths with a youth charity, and I had to choose between wearing my massive glasses in the pool and looking weird, or going without, and lacking my eyesight.

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! The time should be given for the children to add detail to their stories, when telling them – time for embellishment and questioning.