- Picture Books
- Ages 5–9
- Everyday Life
Can I Build Another Me?
Part of ImaginationView the full series
A boy who's fed up with his chores buys a robot to be a second him, then has to teach it exactly who 'he' is. A witty, surprisingly deep picture book about what makes each of us ourselves.
- Best for5–9
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
There are too many jobs to do and not enough time, so a boy has a brilliant idea: he'll buy a robot, programme it to be an exact copy of himself, and let it take over the boring bits of his life. But to make the robot truly 'him', he has to explain who he actually is, and that turns out to be far harder than it sounds. Is he the scar on his knee? The way he winks? His love of acorns, his family, the things he can and can't do, or the whole tangle of all his past selves? As the boy inventories himself piece by piece, Shinsuke Yoshitake turns a silly get-out-of-chores scheme into a quietly profound meditation on individuality and self-knowledge. Told in his trademark deadpan style with wonderfully detailed, funny drawings, Can I Build Another Me? is a book that makes children feel the strange, brilliant fact of being a one-of-a-kind person. A gem for reading aloud and for talking about who we really are.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A rewarding shared read from about 5, with plenty for 6-to-10s to explore alone. The playful robot premise carries a real idea about selfhood, and the dry humour gives it strong appeal for the adult reading along.
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- Best fit · 5–9
- Read aloud · 5–9
- Independent · 6–10
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Philosophy for children
- Identity and self
- Read aloud
- Curious minds
- Robots and tech
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Wants a strong plot
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in art and creativity
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A strong PSHE and philosophy-for-children anchor for talking about identity, self-worth and what makes each person unique; a natural prompt for descriptive writing in which children 'programme' their own robot self.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The dream of a robot double who does your chores is instantly appealing, and it's very funny watching the boy try to list every single thing that makes him him. Kids finish it wanting to draw and describe their own robot copy.
- Being understood finally
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
Under the giggles about avoiding chores sits a genuinely thoughtful exploration of identity and self-worth. It's a warm, quotable read-aloud that leaves children feeling that being exactly, uncopiably themselves is something special.
- Shared humour
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Indie gem discovery
In the series
Imagination.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Shinsuke Yoshitake.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
