I Need My Own Country!

by Rick Walton, Wes Hargis (Illustrations)

When in the course of childhood events, it becomes necessary for one (small) person to create a separate and equal hiding spot to which the laws of growing up entitle them, the truth will be they should declare their very own country!

Full of tongue-in-cheek instructions- Make your own flag.Your own currency.Your own laws.

-this picture book offers a hilarious lesson in junior civics that shows every budding future-president exactly how he or she can create a very special place all their own.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Family, Juvenile, Fiction

40 pages, Library Binding

First published October 16, 2012

About the author

Born and raised in Utah, Walton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. He served as a missionary to Brazil from 1976 to 1978, soon after he graduated from high school. Later, at Brigham Young University, he became president of the Brazil Club. In 1980, he graduated from Brigham Young with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil.

Walton's education continued after he obtained his degree. In 1980, he went back to Brigham Young for one semester of graduate work in business, but chose not to follow that career path. Deciding to become a teacher, he earned certification in elementary education from Brigham Young in 1987, as well as certification to teach gifted and talented students. Up to that point, he had held a number of jobs, including a year with the parks and recreation department of Provo, Utah. In 1987, he began teaching sixth grade at a local public school, then switched to a private school.

Also interested in computers, Walton would later publish several items of software. He left teaching to accept a position as software designer for IBM in 1989. In 1994, he turned to freelance software design and writing. He also returned to Brigham Young University once again, this time to earn his master's degree in English, with an emphasis on creative writing.

Walton's wife, Ann, with whom he has written many of his books, is a computer programmer. They were married in 1983, and have five children. With Dumb Clucks! and Something's Fishy! in 1987, the Waltons began writing books.

Reviews

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes we all need our own space! I loved the illustrations1 Cute book!

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea this book would make such an impact on my 7-year-old. After reading it, he decided he needed to have HIS own country too! He followed the instructions in this book (decide the location of country, name it, make a flag, find citizens, make rules & punishments, create a national anthem and money, etc). He loved it and as a parent it was nice to see him using his own creativity.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I think we all want our own country, where we set the rules and they are obeyed, where we control what type of people and situations come in. I love how even though this girls shuts her little brother out, his kindness changes that story.

* Talking Points: Where do you go when you need to get away? If you had your own country, what would the name of it be? If you had your own country, what would the flag look like? If you had your own country, what type of people would you want there? If you had your own country, what rules would you have? What punishments would you have? What would your national anthem be? What would your national bird be? National animal be? National flower be? National tree be? National motto be? Other national things be? Who supports you in your goals? Does kindness and love always change things?

** Essential Oil Tip: at times when you feel you want your own country, trying putting on or diffusing a little of doTERRA's Console essential oil blend. Things don't always go our way, and that's ok.

[Derek Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent dynamic between siblings that ends lovingly well, a great story for any child.

For me, what makes this specifically endearing are the illustrations. Each face has an incredibly perfect sensibility to the emotion of the words on each page. Please pay attention to the small subtle details: The bugs. Did you notice the same bugs show up on different pages? Every child to whom I've read this enjoyed immensely remarking the insects and pointing out what they are doing on each page.

This book is a must have in any children's collection.

Wes Hargis is illustrator extraordinaire with specific style and perfect details to keep attention to what is being presented and with enough insight to make his books enjoyable again and again, with each read new details being discovered.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that explains, in generalized terms, what it means to establish a country and the various aspects of creating a government, shown through the eyes of a child in the context of family relationships.

The illustrations are very humorous and the details complement the story well.

[Anna]

The girl in the story is frustrated and decides that in order to get away she needs to create her own country. The girl recruits her pets and toys as citizens and get to work, explaining the different important decisions and one must do when being a leader of their new country. She forms rules, punishments, and other national things. Invasions by her little brother are warned as well. The little girl must choose between being peaceful and having enemies because after all, it’s her country.

Engagement Activity requiring higher-level thinking
• Turn our classroom into a country!
• The students are involved in every process along the way.
• The teacher can use the suggested parts of the story to create a list of necessary things involved with running a country.
-- Creating a name, the teacher is the leader, new rules that get voted on, creating a currency, perhaps electing a class anthem and so on.


Walton, R., & Hargis, W. (2012). I need my own country!. New York: Bloomsbury.

[Amy Baric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This funny story is told from the perspective of a young girl who grows tired of her family and decides that she needs to have her own country. Within her bedroom she develops holidays, rules, and systems of trade with other people in her home. This book not only presents concepts of overcoming frustration with family, but it is an excellent resource to explain government concepts for students. Although the child is escaping from her family, you could also discuss what sort place we think would be best and what would be involved in creating our own “ideal” country.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: K - 2nd grade
Family: Older sister

Sometimes, you just need to start your own country. That's precisely what this creative older sister decides to do after she is blamed for her brother's mistakes. In this book, kids will find helpful instructions on how to make your own flag, your own currency, your own laws, and more. This book is a great example for talking about the pictures in a book, not just saying the words.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl creates her own new country in her bedroom...complete with a name, a flag, rules and punishments. (One of her rules was no little brothers allowed which my youngest daughter protested saying it wasn't a nice rule.). But things don't always go as you would expect or hope when you are the leader of a country, so sometimes you have to make some adjustments. A fun story... And might be a fun way to introduce our study of patriotic American symbols in second grade.

[Kim Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations and a cute story about the struggles of siblings make this a wonderful book that kids will love. The sister is tired of invasions and forms her own "country" consisting of her stuffed animals as citizens, her own currency and more. Cute on the surface, this could be a useful introduction to the basic parts of government on a kid level.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book is all about how a little girl is unhappy with her brother and her mom and decides to form her own country, in her room. It actually gives some nice background information about things that really WOULD be important to having your own country (like creating your own flag and your own money) as well as how problems might be negotiated by the heads of state. Very fun book.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some days you just need your own country. But this is not something to be taken lightly. You need rules and a flag and national treasures and lots of other stuff. This is a fun book about a little girl who just gets fed up and strikes out on her own in her own country (Roomania). I loved all the rules she creates. This might be a good starting point for talking about what makes a country.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun--the best part being all the little details in the illustrations. Such fun! Best in a lap-read or read-alone so they have time to see all of that. Would work in a storytime, but readers with younger siblings would relate a little better. Still, I think it will appeal to readers and be a fun choice in the Beehives.

2014-2015 Beehive nominee

[Crystal Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a cute story with fun illustrations about a girl who wanted to get away from her family and turns her room into a sanctioned country. In the end, she and her brother end up friends of course. The girl had a lot of imagination about things that make up a country like money and a flag. Could be a good book to teach about their country.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars This was a fun little book. What would be weird is to read the story without the pictures. It could be really serious!

With the pictures it is a book about a little girl who has decided that her sovereign Kingdom is her room...and NOT LITTLE BROTHERS ALLOWED!

Fun concept!!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A child exploring her own anger and settling on the need for their own space, with rules, and emblems and visiting dignitaries. For young readers it could lead into discussions about conflict resolution. For older readers the story could lead to discussions about democracy and diplomacy.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures support this text of a big sister needing to get away from a pesty little brother--she creates her own country with flags, currency, rules all that is involved, but finds it's more fun to change a rule in order to have a friend in the country...

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really surprised how much I liked this. Super cute and shows a full range of emotions I imagine many siblings have. What a great thing to keep a kid busy on a rainy day: why don't you make your own country? Let the imagination flow!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she becomes fed up with her parents and little brother, a young girl creates her own space. She treats this space like a new country and text reads like a how-to book. A funny junior civics lesson.

Vibrant illustrations support and expand the action of the text. Great read aloud.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Reminds me a bit of How to Be a Baby by Me the Big Sister in that it is a child explaining how things work.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows a girl who decides she wants to live on her own in her room. As the story progresses you see her realizing that having others around is not so bad. I gave this book 5/5 stars. I would recommend the story to any child as they will all relate to it somehow!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever wanted to start your own country (especially if your sibling has really been bothering you), then this is the book for you! It includes lots of practical advice on the best way to start and run your own country as well as how to make peace with your neighbors.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous way to introduce the basics of government to younger children! After reading this you could have kids think of their own countries and laws. Also good for having kids make inferences - ask them why the girl wants to create her own country in the first place.

[Jessica Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone that has a younger sibling can relate to this picture book. It was an easy read with enjoyable illustrations. It would work perfectly in a class where they are developing their own countries. The book had clear visuals of how to make your own flag, currency and law.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the joys of sibling rivalry, teasing brothers and finding out how to navigate in the world. Great book!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read...I love My Roomania as a title for her new country. :-)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. It's charming and clever and ocassionally humorous, a sort of picture book version of "A Room of One's Own."

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appealing, enoyable, and relatable!

[Serina · Rating 2 out of 5]

kinda a cute concept esp with the girl coming around to like little brother

[Aimee Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An instruction manual for budding nation-builders, this story is high on visual detail to add to the story line. It was very clever!