How to Build Your Own Country by Wyatt/Rix
Teaching Kids About Citizenship and Micronations
Jul 29, 2009 Irene Tanner-Yuen
A micronation is an independent state that other state governments and international institutions like the United Nations do not recognise. How to Build Your Own Country, by Valerie Wyatt, educates its young readers about real-life micronations, and covers the fundamental requirements to start and run such a nation. The book is one of Kids Can Press's CitizenKid collection, which aims to promote awareness about world issues and, according to the Kids Can Press web site, "inspire them to be better global citizens".
Three Steps to Creating a Micronation
How to Build Your Own Country is divided into three chapters: "Stake Out Your Identity", "Run the Country", and "Meet the Neighbours". Each chapter contains important information for the fledgling micronation builder, for example, "Run the Country" discusses holding elections and writing a national constitution. In addition to straight information, there are also activities that children can perform. At a loss for words when writing the micronation's national anthem? The "Fill-in-the-Blanks National Anthem" might help.
The book covers rudimentary topics such as "Naming Your Country" and "Finding a Population" to thornier issues like "Serving Your Citizens" and "Keeping the Peace". Wyatt's example of Bathmatia, a hypothetical micronation founded in the bathroom, is used to illustrate each point. The goofy humour displayed throughout the book is bound to elicit giggles from younger readers: Bathmatian Pasme deSoapa's passport states that his birthplace is Lintallova, and there are plenty more gags.
The book is sure to pique children's interest, and the library or Internet can help fill in the gaps in their knowledge. A bibliography or a list of other resources would have been a nice extra, but Wyatt includes a glossary and enough nuggets of information to flesh out the main points.
Republic, Empire, or Other?
Wyatt writes in an engaging and straightforward style, and the accompanying illustrations by Fred Rix are colourful and playful. Wisely, Wyatt also includes anecdotes about real-life micronations and historical events to give context to the information. For example, children can learn about the Aerican Empire, which celebrates twenty-eight holidays, and they can also read about the American who registered her pet dog as a voter.
No matter what the subject, the book remains objective throughout. Although Wyatt writes that "most countries either choose or would like to choose [democracy as their form of government]", she adds that "democracies aren't perfect" either. She discusses different political and economic systems, and leaves it up to readers to choose the type of government for their micronations.
Overall, How to Build Your Own Country is a good addition to a home or school library. Just don't be alarmed when your child cordons off the bathroom, annexes the master bedroom, and then demands that you pay taxes.
Wyatt, Valerie, and Fred Rix (illus.). How to Build Your Own Country. Toronto: Kids Can Press. 2009. ISBN: 978-1-55453-310-7.
Note: Publisher states that age range is 8 through 12.
How to Build Your Own Country
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