Reading Adventure Pack: Building
Go on a "building" reading adventure! Teachers can support reading together at home with our reading adventure packs — designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books. (Level: First or Second Grade)
Explore architecture and building!
The featured books are Roberto: The Insect Architect by Nina Laden and Construction Zone with photographs by Richard Sobol, text by Cheryl Willis Hudson. Roberto: The Insect Architect tells the story of Roberto, a young termite who dreams of building with boards rather than eating them. When no one is willing to give Roberto a chance in the big city, he turns his attention to helping others, building homes anonymously for dispossessed insects. In Construction Zone, noted photojournalist Richard Sobol uses photographs to help explain the complex and challenging process of building a building. Readers are introduced to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Stata Center building, designed by architect Frank O. Gehry.
Get the books
The featured books were chosen for their quality and availability in most school and public libraries. However, if you would like to purchase the books, here are the links:
Roberto: The Insect Architect by Nina Laden
Construction Zone by Cheryl Willis Hudson
What's in the reading adventure pack?
- Parent information sheet with an introductory note that teachers can personalize, instructions about how to use the packet, and tips for sharing fiction and nonfiction books with children
- Two books: one fiction and one nonfiction, selected by Reading Rockets for high quality and wide availability in school libraries
- Creativity Activity: a hands-on craft project
- Imagination Activity: encourages imaginative play, writing, or drawing
- Get Real Activity: focuses on real-world experiences for parent and child
- Bookmark: lists the featured titles and alternative titles
- Parent survey
While designed as a school-to-home project, reading adventure packs are also great for summer programs, after-school programs, and home-schoolers.