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Roberto, The Insect Architect [Hardcover]

Nina Laden
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 2000 1 and up 400L (What's this?)
Ever since he was a wee mite (a termite, that is), Roberto has wanted to be an architect. Discouraged by his wood-eating family and friends, he decides to follow his dream to the big, bug city. There he meets a slew of not-so-creepy, crawly characters who spark in him the courage to build a community for them all.

With stunning collage illustrations and witty text, the creator of the bestselling The Night I Followed the Dog, Private I. Guana, and When Pigasso Met Mootisse brings to life a funny and inspirational story that will encourage readers of any age to build their dreams.


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Roberto, The Insect Architect + Iggy Peck, Architect + The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Even when Roberto was little, he went against the grain. Like most termites, he melted over maple, and pined for pine. Oak was okay, too. But Roberto didn't eat his food. He played with it."

Young Roberto has a burning desire to become an architect. Even when the other termites mock his ambition, Roberto is never derailed from his dream. So, like so many career-minded youth, this mite with a mission sets off for the big, buggy city. Here, sadly, he is thwarted by his heroes, Hank Floyd Mite and Fleas Van Der Rohe. But this inspired insect decides not to wallow in his sorrows but to help out other bugs with even greater problems. Soon, a fantastic, eclectic housing development is in the works. The mysterious architect chooses to remain anonymous, but ultimately can't avoid the grateful adulation of the carpenter ants, ladybugs, and house flies he has helped.

Nina Laden's fantastic collages use old catalog and magazine images, blueprints, cork veneer, and lots more, to create buildings, cities, and buggy creatures the likes of which you've never seen. The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts away from the Empire State Building, with Gaudi's quirky sculptural edifices looming nearby. Some of the hilarious wordplay may fly over the heads of non-architects, but the overall humorous effect--and the go-for-your-goals message--will not be lost on anyone. For more charming and artistic pun-ishment, try Laden's When Pigasso Met Mootisse. (Ages 6 to 11) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

This good-natured tale, whose striking collages incorporate wood products and city photographs, introduces a termite who "went against the grain.... Roberto didn't eat his food. He played with it." While other termites picnic on "wood chips" and shotgun shacks, Roberto yearns to build with boards. He also exhibits a philanthropic streak. His first project is a neighborhood for homeless bugs, including a fireproof stone dwelling for a ladybug whose first house, per the nursery rhyme, burned down. Laden (When Pigasso Met Mootisse) wittily imagines a termite with a social conscience, one who ensures that bedbugs have "their very own beds." She incorporates woodworking tools into her bug-themed spreads and creates furniture from carefully cropped pieces of cork and veneer. Ant-like Roberto hunches over a mahogany-brown drafting table, busily drawing blueprints for a milk-carton shelter and a conical hive with neat circular windows. Even if children don't get the gags about Hank Floyd Mite (seated at a Guggenheim-shaped desk with a sketch of Fallingwater) and Fleas Van Der Rohe, nonstop insect quips and humorous bug house illustrations keep this book buzzing along. Ages 2-6. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 1 and up
  • Hardcover: 40 pages
  • Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (September 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0811824659
  • ISBN-13: 978-0811824651
  • Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 0.4 x 9.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nina Laden grew up in the New York City area. She now lives in an old farmhouse in Seattle, which she renovated with her husband. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children.

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
(19)
4.7 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Howard Roark for the termite set September 13, 2000
By Xeneri
Format:Hardcover
Insect architects! This is an inspired little story with theunlikely prospect of a termite who dreams of building with wood instead of eating it.... Roberto sets off for the big buggy city in search of his dream.

The story is encouraging, and the wordplay witty but it's the fantastically funky collages that win you over. Laden uses all sorts of images... to create unreal insect edifaces. You'll find yourself staring at the quirky seussian architecture and chuckling at all the in-jokes.

A treat for the eyes and very fun!

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite lovely. August 23, 2005
Format:Hardcover
Nina Laden, Roberto the Insect Architect (Chronicle, 2000)

There's something to be said for reading childrens' picture books every now and again. Childrens' authors can't get away with as much as adult authors can; for one thing, they generally have less room in which to get away with it (unless they are J. K. Rowling or Clive Barker, the vanguards of the burgeoning "childrens' doorstop" movement); for another, kids have an innate crap detector adults seem to get rid of as they get older. Reading chidlrens' books is a good way of grounding yourself, if you've gotten stuck in a rut of overly wordy stuff.

Roberto the Insect Architect is a fun one. (And note that a number of Amazon reviews of it have been posted by adults who own the book for themselves rather than their kids.) It's your basic "be yourself" kind of book, and reminds me in many ways of Randall Jarrell's brilliant The Bat-Poet. It's shorter, of course, being for a younger audience, and the points that are made are closer to the surface, but Laden still keeps things in hand by letting the story tell the story and giving visual cues that will make the reader of the intended age work (for example, Roberto's dream and its realization, which bookend the narrative in pictures instead of words). Worth reading for all ages. ****
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars My architect husband loves this book! August 8, 2003
Format:Hardcover
My husband just recently purchased this book. We both love it! I love the story line and how Roberto does not quite fit in with the other termites. He follows his dreams, and eventually, parent termites want their kids to be just like him! The illustrations in this book are also great!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute book!
This book was purchased as a gift for someone graduating from college - he studied architecture. He and his friends and family appreciated the story and the illustrations. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Kathy Strackbein
5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous and deep
As a family we first became aware of this story on a Scholastic DVD where actor Sean Hayes reads it to animation. The puns and funny references are hilarious (sometimes subtle). Read more
Published 4 days ago by K. Allison
4.0 out of 5 stars An Insect Architect?
I was happy this arrived on time, faster than expected. It came brand new just as it was stated. I find this to be a fun book to read whether you're a child or adult. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lupu03
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, fun for adult to read.
I laughed many times reading to my daughter. Clever puns, creative story. Won't mind reading many times. Love this book!
Published 2 months ago by Kb
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for all ages
This is a wonderful book that pays homage to great architects of the 20th century in a very clever and creative way. Highly recommended!
Published 4 months ago by John B. Yeh
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Constructed
This is one of those wonderful children's books that has a level of cleverness and humor that make it equally appealing to discerning adults. Highly recommended. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jerrold E. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Art Starter
As an art teacher, I am always looking for ways to fire up the students before we begin our project. This book was a big hit with k-2nd grade students. Read more
Published on February 20, 2009 by Suzette Morrow
3.0 out of 5 stars Good children's book. Good word play.
The book tells the story of a young termite aspiring to be an architect. The story and word play are entertaining to both children and adults.
Published on January 10, 2009 by R. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book
As an architect, I was so excited to find this book to give to my nephew. It introduces kids to the concept of an architect has cute references to the famous one like Mies. Read more
Published on June 20, 2008 by H. Salisbury
5.0 out of 5 stars Creative Book
This is a very sweet story with very unique illustrations. I am hoping it will spark the imagiination of my grandson and help him to identify and appreciate his mothers career... Read more
Published on March 10, 2007 by L. Stuverud
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