What do you think?
Rate this book
Roberto: The Insect Architect
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. Plus, this is the fixed format version, which looks nearly identical to the print version.
40 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2000
5 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Jane K. Cleland
32 books354 followersJane K. Cleland writes the multiple award-winning and bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries. Her short stories are published by Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She’s also written the bestselling and Agatha Award-winning how-to books,
Mastering Plot Twists
and
Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot
, both from Writer’s Digest Books.
Her latest release is the craft of writing book, Beat the Bots: A Writer's Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI from Regalo Press.
In addition, Jane presents a free monthly webinar series on the craft of writing as well as the Mystery Mastermind series—her small-group virtual writing workshops. She is also a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine, chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award, in partnership with AHMM, and is the Vice President of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Jane has an MFA (in professional and creative writing) and an MBA (in marketing and management). Jane is a lecturer at Lehman College where she is also the director of the Program for Professional Communications, and a frequent workshop facilitator and guest author at writing conferences and university programs.
For more on Jane, visit www.janecleland.com.
Her latest release is the craft of writing book, Beat the Bots: A Writer's Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI from Regalo Press.
In addition, Jane presents a free monthly webinar series on the craft of writing as well as the Mystery Mastermind series—her small-group virtual writing workshops. She is also a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine, chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award, in partnership with AHMM, and is the Vice President of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Jane has an MFA (in professional and creative writing) and an MBA (in marketing and management). Jane is a lecturer at Lehman College where she is also the director of the Program for Professional Communications, and a frequent workshop facilitator and guest author at writing conferences and university programs.
For more on Jane, visit www.janecleland.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
February 21, 2019
This Fantasy book was about a termite who chases his dreams and becomes the architect he always wanted to be. He uses trash to create magnificent houses for his new friends in need. I would use this book in 3rd grade, as it has some complex texts and communicates an inspirational message to students. One way I would use this book is to talk about following your dreams and pursuing the future you want. I would read this to students and have them write down what they want to be when they grow up and why. Another way I could use this book is to teach students about perseverance in the face of adversity. We could discuss a time when students faced adversity and how they overcame it. This book was a WOW book for me because it had great illustrations and showed the message that you can do anything you put your mind to which I believe is a crucial message to teach children.
Not an E-text.
Not an E-text.
May 12, 2021
This children's book is brilliantly written, with a creative and exciting story that also makes space for social commentary about not sticking labels and limitations on people, or in this case termites. Roberto grows up with a love for wood, as most termites do: "He melted over maple, and pined for pine. Oak was okay, too." Only, Roberto doesn't care as much about eating wood as much as playing with his food—building structures as he dreams about building the first house on the moon. Roberto is different, he goes "against the grain," and as he does a selfless message of helping the poor and marginalized is chipped off of each carefully chosen word by Nina Laden.
My 4-year-old loved this and so did I. I'll use this as I teach creative writing.
My 4-year-old loved this and so did I. I'll use this as I teach creative writing.
January 20, 2022
Dream Big.
This is the story of Roberto, an ambitious termite who wants to become an architect (going against the stereotype that termites eat buildings).
His parents don't believe in him, so he decides to move to the big city, where he will be accepted.
But Roberto can't find a job.
On his way home (a hotel run by a tick, the best he could afford), he meets other insects with different issues. Some of them had lost their house, so Roberto starts building an entire neighborhood. As a true benefactor, he sends the keys anonymously.
The whole city begins to wonder who the benefactor might be, until the truth is revealed.
Roberto gets his shop and becomes famous.
The moral is: follow your dreams, no matter how ambitious they are.
I gave this book three stars because I'm allergic to insects: as a matter of fact, there were far too many and I got a bit itchy.
There are many word puns in this book, it requires an extensive knowledge of the English language.
Good for learning new words and expressions.
This is the story of Roberto, an ambitious termite who wants to become an architect (going against the stereotype that termites eat buildings).
His parents don't believe in him, so he decides to move to the big city, where he will be accepted.
But Roberto can't find a job.
On his way home (a hotel run by a tick, the best he could afford), he meets other insects with different issues. Some of them had lost their house, so Roberto starts building an entire neighborhood. As a true benefactor, he sends the keys anonymously.
The whole city begins to wonder who the benefactor might be, until the truth is revealed.
Roberto gets his shop and becomes famous.
The moral is: follow your dreams, no matter how ambitious they are.
I gave this book three stars because I'm allergic to insects: as a matter of fact, there were far too many and I got a bit itchy.
There are many word puns in this book, it requires an extensive knowledge of the English language.
Good for learning new words and expressions.
May 3, 2020
Roberto is a termite who’d rather play with his wood food than eat it. He goes to the big city and faces rejection, but finally finds a way to build things and make a difference.
The story was not bad, but I felt like the bug puns and name dropping got to be a little too much. Almost all of those would either have to be explained to kids, or they just wouldn’t really care. Six year olds aren’t going to be entertained by a creative “bug-iffying” of a news anchor’s name. And as an adult they were just ok humor wise. I wish the author would have focused more on the playing with food aspect, it was the most relatable to kids and could’ve been fun with some creativity. The illustrations weren’t really my favorite either, just ok.
The story was not bad, but I felt like the bug puns and name dropping got to be a little too much. Almost all of those would either have to be explained to kids, or they just wouldn’t really care. Six year olds aren’t going to be entertained by a creative “bug-iffying” of a news anchor’s name. And as an adult they were just ok humor wise. I wish the author would have focused more on the playing with food aspect, it was the most relatable to kids and could’ve been fun with some creativity. The illustrations weren’t really my favorite either, just ok.
November 6, 2018
The twins (age six) liked this one but didn't love it. It's filled with a lot of bug and architecture puns that went a bit over their heads, though I did find some of them amusing. Roberto (a termite) stands out from the rest of his termite family in that he wants to build things, versus eat them. He sets out for the big city to do just that, but once there is just another bug in the crowd. He eventually finds his niche and succeeds, etc., etc. It's a cute story, with lots (and lots) of pictures of bugs. My kids aren't always big bug fans, but they enjoyed these illustrations.
June 17, 2021
The collage art in this book is very cool and makes it a book to study, not just read. The story of Roberto is like others- kids who feel like the odd duck in the world who go on to quietly do great things. I think there's a pretty good message there for parents if they choose to catch it. The play on names would go over kids' head but would help make it a fun book for a parent to read to their child.
May 9, 2017
Here's a fun title for anyone who knows anything about architecture. Lots of play on famous architects' names (Fleas Van Der Rohe, Hank Floyd Mite, Antonia Gaudi). Lots of fun idioms & alliteration too. It's a chuckle-chuckle read for sure. Though adults would get the jokes more than kids would. The illustrations are interesting too.
May 7, 2018
Great message, and there's some fun plays on words (and names!), but I found the text to be choppy and the artwork horribly distracting. Collage art is always a little iffy for me, but, in my opinion, the work here did nothing positive for the book, instead making this reader want to get through the book as quickly as possible. Bummer, really, because it's a very inspirational message.
July 5, 2018
There's a lot here (puns, references, satire) that most kids won't get. One can enjoy the story without getting all of that, but I think it would flatten some parts of the story.
The illustrations were partially collage. Maybe this should have been obvious, but I dislike insects enough that a lot of the illustrations made me uncomfortable.
The illustrations were partially collage. Maybe this should have been obvious, but I dislike insects enough that a lot of the illustrations made me uncomfortable.
July 19, 2024
Another Summer School read...
I enjoyed the story, Roberto was ambitious and determined. The theme of the story was to follow your dreams and defy the odds. Robeorto, the insect architect was full of cleaver puns and featured many of todays' media outlets and newscasters. While I enjoyed the embedded play on words, not of my students to could relate.
I enjoyed the story, Roberto was ambitious and determined. The theme of the story was to follow your dreams and defy the odds. Robeorto, the insect architect was full of cleaver puns and featured many of todays' media outlets and newscasters. While I enjoyed the embedded play on words, not of my students to could relate.
December 16, 2017
Roberto, a termite, is made fun of when he wants to build buildings instead of eating them.
He goes away to the big city and makes a name for himself by building houses for people who don't have any.
He goes away to the big city and makes a name for himself by building houses for people who don't have any.
November 24, 2017
Unique artwork and a pun-filled, if choppy, text. The story follows the familiar children's entertainment arc of a character who just doesn't fit in with the rest of his kind, but who has a special talent that really shines and makes everyone's lives better.
April 13, 2021
Clever language and idea! My students thought the bugs were funny and enjoyed the humor. Much of the clever language was over their head, but I enjoyed that! There are lots of ways we could use this book in Grade 3!
October 2, 2017
Roberto is a termite who, instead of eating wood, wants to use it and become an architect. It is a herky-jerky story and the illustrations are very confusing.
November 24, 2017
Sometimes we are quick to underestimate and undermine our children’s dreams.
December 11, 2018
I loved this book!! The students love the insects and how he builds things for their people! The illustrations are fun! The cockroach is my favorite!
Read
May 5, 2020Roberto follows his dreams of being an architect and builds a community for all the bugs. This is a fun book showing how you should follow your dreams
February 16, 2023
I loved the character names and the illustrations!
April 21, 2023
As charming as a carpenter ant wearing a tool belt.
May 5, 2023
It was just ok
Read
July 14, 2023Cute story- don’t love the illustrations
October 14, 2010
My best friends appear to be several dogs and a two-year-old human. They are all easily pleased, easily appeased and generally easy going.
Jack, the human, has recently learned the alphabet and the numerals. His family has a pretty big library consisting primarily of science fiction, mathematics and children's literature. Jack is interested in all of it except the mathematics and will on occasion want to go over a text with me, sometimes just to identify letters, sometimes to go through the details of illustrations.
I tend to prefer heavily illustrated books for adults and to eschew children's books, except Dr. Seuss of course. Jack, however, can be very insistent and has managed to get me to go through a whole bunch of very stupid, often poorly illustrated, books for kids. One of them has stood out from the others though. It's Laden's rags-to-riches chronicle of Roberto, the termite who became, against all odds, an architect. I've "read" it now at least a dozen times and will probably read it again...and again...and again.
Besides the bad puns and cultural references, which only adults will understand, Laden's book is unusually good because of its distinctive illustrations. There's very little drawing, a lot of colorfully detailed collage. Perhaps Laden can't draw any better than I can. No matter. Jack--and I--enjoy looking through the detail, finding the odd item here and there, pointing things out to one another. One thing this exercise has taught me is that Jack knows a lot more English than he lets on. He knows, for instance, what a frying pan is, an SUV, a basket, a praying mantis etc.--and he hardly talks and when he does he tends to speak without initial consonants. I also appreciate the twisted humor of the thing, humor mixed with moral points. For instance, when Roberto leaves home he has to live for a time in what amounts to a roach motel. The other residents are the kind you'd expect in an SRO, the dregs of society. The way Laden deals with this is that Roberto, ever considerate, sets out to help them. He builds beds for his neighbors, a bunch of bed bugs, then moves on to construct shelters out of garbage for homeless ladybugs, tics, carpenter ants and so on.
I'm not certain how much Jack follows the story line. Just today I learned that he can identify Roberto, the protagonist, as he appears throughout the story. I think he gets the fact that Roberto is different than other kinds of termites, including those in his own family, in that he wants to build with, not eat, wood. I also think he understands that Roberto is helping the other bugs by making them things. But still, at two, he's mostly interested in finding the toaster oven in the city dump from which Roberto obtains his building materials.
Jack, the human, has recently learned the alphabet and the numerals. His family has a pretty big library consisting primarily of science fiction, mathematics and children's literature. Jack is interested in all of it except the mathematics and will on occasion want to go over a text with me, sometimes just to identify letters, sometimes to go through the details of illustrations.
I tend to prefer heavily illustrated books for adults and to eschew children's books, except Dr. Seuss of course. Jack, however, can be very insistent and has managed to get me to go through a whole bunch of very stupid, often poorly illustrated, books for kids. One of them has stood out from the others though. It's Laden's rags-to-riches chronicle of Roberto, the termite who became, against all odds, an architect. I've "read" it now at least a dozen times and will probably read it again...and again...and again.
Besides the bad puns and cultural references, which only adults will understand, Laden's book is unusually good because of its distinctive illustrations. There's very little drawing, a lot of colorfully detailed collage. Perhaps Laden can't draw any better than I can. No matter. Jack--and I--enjoy looking through the detail, finding the odd item here and there, pointing things out to one another. One thing this exercise has taught me is that Jack knows a lot more English than he lets on. He knows, for instance, what a frying pan is, an SUV, a basket, a praying mantis etc.--and he hardly talks and when he does he tends to speak without initial consonants. I also appreciate the twisted humor of the thing, humor mixed with moral points. For instance, when Roberto leaves home he has to live for a time in what amounts to a roach motel. The other residents are the kind you'd expect in an SRO, the dregs of society. The way Laden deals with this is that Roberto, ever considerate, sets out to help them. He builds beds for his neighbors, a bunch of bed bugs, then moves on to construct shelters out of garbage for homeless ladybugs, tics, carpenter ants and so on.
I'm not certain how much Jack follows the story line. Just today I learned that he can identify Roberto, the protagonist, as he appears throughout the story. I think he gets the fact that Roberto is different than other kinds of termites, including those in his own family, in that he wants to build with, not eat, wood. I also think he understands that Roberto is helping the other bugs by making them things. But still, at two, he's mostly interested in finding the toaster oven in the city dump from which Roberto obtains his building materials.
March 14, 2015
Most termites see wood as nothing more than fuel, sustence, or put more simply, food. (just don’t call it “Grub.” In the insect world, they often live within wood!) But Roberto looks at wood, and sees possibilities…
From an early age, Roberto used wood not to satisfy his culinary palete, but rather to excite his creative muse and used it the way Leonardo Da Vinci used marble in his early years as an artist. He evneutally set his sights to the big city to become an architect.
At first, everyone turned him away, seeing him as a liability who’d eat the profits (in the literal sense) rather than build with them. Roberto was the kind of hard sell risk as would be a mouse (or rat…) in cheese shop, a dog working for a butcher, and of course, a termite working with wood in the contrscution biz.
Along the way, Roberto encounters various friends and neighbors who are homless for one reason or another, and decides to do something about it.
With his self-taught knowledge of architecture, Roberto designs and builds the homes and businesses to get those bugs off the streets and a second chance at a better life, and in the spirit of a “Secret Santa” does so anomyously.
It doesn’t take long before the city at large is buzzing with inritgue wondering who this mystery master archetict is.
When it’s discovered that Roberto’s the bug they’re looking for, the reader (and those read) are shown not only the importance of hard work and never giving up, but also how not to let doubt from others blindside you from your dreams.
Nina Laden’s agular and wonderfully quirkly illustrations, matched with concise and engaging text that sprinkles in fun wordplay throughout complete each other well.
While I always liked the idea behind the film, “A Bug’s Life” (the sophmore effort after the phenemon that was/is Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story”) I couldn’t fully get into the execution. “Roberto, The Insect Architect” pulls it off, and in a fraction of the time.
Unless you’re horridly averse to insects, this is a book worth checking out.
If more termites were like Roberto, they’d probably be as sacred to us as cats were in ancient Egypt and parts of Asia, and today in the form of viral videos like “Dear Kitten”, comic strip icons like “Garfield” and “Heathcliff”, and pop culture phenemons like “Doraemon.” Or at least keep David Kirk’s “Miss Spider” and E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” company…
Originally Reviewed At TalkingAnimalAddicts.com
From an early age, Roberto used wood not to satisfy his culinary palete, but rather to excite his creative muse and used it the way Leonardo Da Vinci used marble in his early years as an artist. He evneutally set his sights to the big city to become an architect.
At first, everyone turned him away, seeing him as a liability who’d eat the profits (in the literal sense) rather than build with them. Roberto was the kind of hard sell risk as would be a mouse (or rat…) in cheese shop, a dog working for a butcher, and of course, a termite working with wood in the contrscution biz.
Along the way, Roberto encounters various friends and neighbors who are homless for one reason or another, and decides to do something about it.
With his self-taught knowledge of architecture, Roberto designs and builds the homes and businesses to get those bugs off the streets and a second chance at a better life, and in the spirit of a “Secret Santa” does so anomyously.
It doesn’t take long before the city at large is buzzing with inritgue wondering who this mystery master archetict is.
When it’s discovered that Roberto’s the bug they’re looking for, the reader (and those read) are shown not only the importance of hard work and never giving up, but also how not to let doubt from others blindside you from your dreams.
Nina Laden’s agular and wonderfully quirkly illustrations, matched with concise and engaging text that sprinkles in fun wordplay throughout complete each other well.
While I always liked the idea behind the film, “A Bug’s Life” (the sophmore effort after the phenemon that was/is Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story”) I couldn’t fully get into the execution. “Roberto, The Insect Architect” pulls it off, and in a fraction of the time.
Unless you’re horridly averse to insects, this is a book worth checking out.
If more termites were like Roberto, they’d probably be as sacred to us as cats were in ancient Egypt and parts of Asia, and today in the form of viral videos like “Dear Kitten”, comic strip icons like “Garfield” and “Heathcliff”, and pop culture phenemons like “Doraemon.” Or at least keep David Kirk’s “Miss Spider” and E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” company…
Originally Reviewed At TalkingAnimalAddicts.com
December 2, 2013
Roberto is a young termite when he realizes his love for wood—not for food, but for building!
His mother always told him to stop playing with his food, other termites didn’t understand him, and Roberto wasn’t sure what to do about his passion either. He decides to pack up and head to the city, where maybe he can find a job as an architect. Bugs in the city have celebrity names like Hank Floyd Mite, Fleas Van Der Rohe, Antonia Gaudi, and many more! It adds a nice humor to the book for adults. Roberto just can’t seem to get hired, or even the chance to show what he can do. So he walked home “feeling like a pest”. On the way there he was nearly run over with complaints from a fly, a mother lady bug, a carpenter ant, and a stampede of roaches. They had bad homes or no homes at all, and need a place to stay. Roberto decides to follow his dreams without any support and goes to the dump to build houses for his bug friends. The secret though, is that he sends them the keys, anonymously. Everyone in the city is “buzzing” to know who is building all of the beautiful homes!
This book has very creative collage illustrations and a great moral to the story: follow your dreams. I would use this book in literacy for visualizing, inferring, and making connection. This book has a strong personification with the bug characters, and that is also something that could be discussed.
His mother always told him to stop playing with his food, other termites didn’t understand him, and Roberto wasn’t sure what to do about his passion either. He decides to pack up and head to the city, where maybe he can find a job as an architect. Bugs in the city have celebrity names like Hank Floyd Mite, Fleas Van Der Rohe, Antonia Gaudi, and many more! It adds a nice humor to the book for adults. Roberto just can’t seem to get hired, or even the chance to show what he can do. So he walked home “feeling like a pest”. On the way there he was nearly run over with complaints from a fly, a mother lady bug, a carpenter ant, and a stampede of roaches. They had bad homes or no homes at all, and need a place to stay. Roberto decides to follow his dreams without any support and goes to the dump to build houses for his bug friends. The secret though, is that he sends them the keys, anonymously. Everyone in the city is “buzzing” to know who is building all of the beautiful homes!
This book has very creative collage illustrations and a great moral to the story: follow your dreams. I would use this book in literacy for visualizing, inferring, and making connection. This book has a strong personification with the bug characters, and that is also something that could be discussed.
October 25, 2012
Roberto the termite does not destroy houses, he wants to design them. He moves to Bug Central Station to build his dream but finds that everything he has heard about the big city isn’t true. All of the famous architects shunned Roberto; he almost gives up trying to find a job. Then he realizes that he isn’t the only one with problems and decides to prove himself, to himself and everyone who had put him down. His creation is a masterpiece and everyone searched for the bug that made it…and eventually the path leads to Roberto.
This is a really inspirational story that will inspire children to not give up on their dreams, and to strive to do their best. The artwork is also amazing, it has a very unique look to it that makes you want to take time and look at the pictures.
How I would use this book with students:
I would definitely use this book as a read-aloud. I would also place it in the classroom library for the students to read for enjoyment. I would also create an activity for my students by asking them to tell a story of a time when they almost gave up on something they wanted to do because of peer pressure.
This is a really inspirational story that will inspire children to not give up on their dreams, and to strive to do their best. The artwork is also amazing, it has a very unique look to it that makes you want to take time and look at the pictures.
How I would use this book with students:
I would definitely use this book as a read-aloud. I would also place it in the classroom library for the students to read for enjoyment. I would also create an activity for my students by asking them to tell a story of a time when they almost gave up on something they wanted to do because of peer pressure.
November 1, 2013
The illustration in this book were very unique and really caught my eye. I really enjoyed this book because it was able to cover so many topics. I feel that students can use this book to be a moral lesson to always dream big and never give up, a great vocabulary building book, and even encourage students to be creative. My goal is to teach science for older students and could defiantly see myself shearing this book with them. This is another book that I would have to say is a must read!
January 13, 2016
This is clever and humorous and I fell in love with the illustrations (despite not being a big fan of most insects). Roberto is clever and determined and kind and big-hearted. Great story. (And apparently, I am on a bit of a building kick this week...having read this, Rosie Revere, Engineer and The Most Magnificent Thing all within a couple of days of each other.). Could be used to talk about dreaming, reaching goals, helping others, or determination.
October 7, 2016
Roberto the Insect Architect is a great read aloud for grades 1-3. It is a third grade reading level but the message from the book is a great introduction to a lesson on courage, working hard despite failure, and following your dreams in times of adversity. This book has detailed, and creative illustrations and witty text that allows students to predict and wonder about the plot. This book allows for great literacy lessons in vocabulary comprehension.
September 8, 2008
I honestly don't want my son to become an architect like me and go through the soul-sucking process of school and work that I went through, but this book brings out the fun parts of becoming an architect. There are some nice jokes that only people with knowledge of architecture will get. Good stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews