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. 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.

Some children are more than happy to wear their heart on their sleeve, whereas others may be much more reticent. What is shared may or may to be quite personal, but crucially, that decision is made by the children.

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. However, before he can bring his cloned self to life, he must embark on a quest to uncover the essence of his individuality. 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. 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. 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!

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. 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. 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. 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?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. This esoteric little book is a brilliant one to share, it is visually arresting and is such a great book to teach with. 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.

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. 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 could share about how when I was in school, I saw somebody get bullied for wearing glasses, so when I was told that I needed glasses, I felt super anxious and would take them off in the corridor. In telling these stories, what you are needing to do yourself, and what you are encouraging in the kids, is the ability to spin a good yarn – to speak humorously or with pathos, to be able to pre-empt the reactions it might get and to withhold certain information until the very end, to be able to identify the key parts of the ‘plot’ and to tell it appropriately. This is a wonderful picturebook about the nature of individuality, perfect fo r building a classroom or school culture where the uniqueness of each person is celebrated.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.

Storytelling can go beyond narrating the written word, and I think there is merit in pupils ability to speak narratively about their own experiences.The book invites readers on a whimsical journey that follows a young boy’s desire to create a robot clone of himself. The time should be given for the children to add detail to their stories, when telling them – time for embellishment and questioning.