Roberto: the Insect Architect
Nina Laden (2000), Chronicle Books
Roberto is a daydreaming termite who doesn’t want to do what all the other termites do; he wants to design and construct great buildings. After a move to the big bug city despite very few job prospects, he meets a series of bugs with problems he thinks he can solve. Roberto sketches, plans, and builds a whole bug neighborhood out of discarded materials and anonymously gifts the keys to needy bugs. Eventually, he is discovered and becomes a famous hero and a symbol of creativity and philanthropy for all bugs.