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Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780811824651
ISBN: 0811824659
Label: Chronicle Books
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 40
Publication Date: 2000-09
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Sales Rank: 78037
Studio: Chronicle Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Ever since he was a wee mite (termite that is), Roberto wanted to be an architect. He longed to follow in the footsteps-all twelve of them-of such architectural greats as Hank Floyd Mite and Fleas van der Rohe. Discouraged by comments from family and friends that he is biting off more than he can chew, he decides to follow his dream all the way 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 quirky collage illustrations and witty text, the creator of the best-selling The Night I Followed the Dog, Private I. Guana, and When Pigasso Met Mootisse brings to life a funny and inspirational story to encourage readers of any age to reach for the stars.
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
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
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. Cute story and illustrations.
Rating: -
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 path.
Rating: -
I found out about this book from a fellow architect who was looking for architecture related children's books for her children. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased it for another architect friend's baby shower and will continue to purchase it for other architect friends in the future, as well as for my own children when the time comes. The story is very cute, the names are clever and the illustrations are fun. The perfect book for a future architect.
Rating:  -
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. ... Read More
Rating: -
Another in the impressive Chronicle series of children's books, Roberto, the Insect Architect is the latest invention of author/artist Nina Laden, the fascinating tale of a wee mite ("termite, that is"), who grows up wanting to build things out of wood, not just feast on it, going against the grain of family obligations. Roberto aspires to make a name for himself, much like those he so admires, Hank Floyd Mite and Fleas van der Rohe, but he is discouraged when his parents complain that Roberto he has "bitten ... Read More
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