Animal Architects

National Geographic Readers: Level 3

by Libby Romero

Independent readers will learn all about nature's most amazing builders in this new leveled reader from National Geographic Kids. Meet brilliant birds, inventive insects, ocean architects--and more!

Ever wondered why beavers build dams? Or how spiders weave their intricate webs? In this reader, you'll meet brilliant birds inventive insects, and amazing mammals that all share a special skill. Packed with beautiful and engaging photos, this leveled reader introduces kids to the most extreme engineers of the animal kingdom.

National Geographic Readers' expert-vetted text, along with brilliant images and a fun to approach to reading, have proved to be a winning formula with kids, parents, and educators. Level 2 text provides accessible, yet wide-ranging, information for kids ready to read on their own, perfect to encourage the engineers and explorers of tomorrow!

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Childrens, Nature, Picture Books

48 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2019

About the author

Libby Romero worked as a teacher and a journalist before dedicating herself to becoming an author.

Reviews

[June Jacobs]

I like the National Geographic Kids books because they are colorful, factual, and well-organized. When I saw the cover of this book I chuckled because I thought of the old saying, 'Busy as a beaver'.

This book is divided into nine chapters including Master Builders, Busy Birds, Spinning Spiders, Ants and Termites, Bees and Wasps, etc. Each chapter includes several of the types of color photographs National Geographic is known for presenting in their magazines and books. There are sidebars with vocabulary words, statistics, 'Weird But True' facts, and some fun Q & A puns, riddles, and jokes.

I'm not a huge fan of insects and spiders, but I was fascinated by the net-casting spider and the trapdoor spider's architectural abilities! The ants and termites and bees are likewise master architects. The Ocean Architects chapter was of special interest to me because I've been watching a series on PBS titled, 'Big Pacific'. Some of the same amazing architects on the show are included in this book--the male pufferfish, decorator crabs, and corals.

Back matter includes a 'Quiz Whiz' quiz about the facts in the book, a picture Glossary, and an Index. The back cover includes a website listing for so learns can join in the National Geographic Kids Super Reader club.

Recommended for teachers, librarians, parents/grandparents, science clubs, zoo camp leaders, and adults {such as I} with an insatiable interest in learning things about the world around them that they missed {or forgot} when they were a middle-grade student!

I borrowed a copy of this hardcover book from the non-fiction New Books shelves in the children's collection of the local public library.

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[Lucy]

Amazing book! Very fun to read!

[Sunday]

Did you know the sociable weavers' nest can house up to 400 birds? That mason bees live by themselves and design-build a nest for just one egg at a time? That the spittlebug creates its own nest out of foamy spit it generates?

Delightful. The writing is clear and cohesive for young readers and the layout, format, design are tight. Illustrations clearly support the text. I was unfamiliar with a lot of the facts shared which was a nice surprise. Romero chose some very fascinating animals to portray as she develops the idea that animals are architects. (Architect is defined at the beginning of the book.) This idea is threaded expertly through each detail Romero chose to include. (In my opinion, there are a lot of badly written series and "leveled" readers out there.)

I'd BOOK TALK this for students and then leave for them to grab up out of the (classroom) library. Actually, I don't think you even have to talk. Show them the picture of the sociable weaver's nest on page 6 and students will want to read this. No kidding.

I'd love to have a set of these for small group GUIDED READING. Romero's descriptions are worthy of a close read along with the photographs. After coaching individuals in the small group (as they read the book a first time), I'd regroup and closely read (maybe during the next lesson) a few sections of the book like pages 6-7 that focus solely on the sociable weaver's nest. You can pose questions like the following as a purpose for close reading:
*Which words help you visualize the nest?
*How does the descriptive text structure help you make sense of this information?
*What is new information to you? What are a few key words we can use to help us explain what we learned to someone else?

[Ruth Ann]

What animals and insects build their own homes? This book will give you answers with photos!
Words to Know and extra information about these creatures are in colorful bubbles.

Quiz and Index in the back.

[Anthony]

Some general and amazing facts about animal architects on land, in the air, in the sea, underground, and up in trees. This book contains a glossary, a quiz, and few jokes to keep the learning interesting.

[Spencer]

Gift from Harper's grandmother

[Tapani Aulu]

Majavista, hämähäkeistä, linnuista ja muista löytyy melkoisia rakentajia, vaikkei ehtä arkkitehteja.

[Jessica]

I enjoyed learning about the animal architects.

[Susan]

I want to find more of the National Geographic books about animals for children. I really enjoyed this book and learned so much. It gave me a greater appreciation for all of the creatures God has created. Now I don't want to destroy a wasps' nest or anthill because I know of all of the work the wasps or ants had to do to build their homes. (However, I still don't like wasps or ants.) It had great pictures, too. And, of course, was easy to understand.

[Maryanne]

Animal Architect by National Geographic Society Crump
02202007


Nice quicky book. Mostly photos.

[Tim]

Wonderfully informative. Fascinating descriptions of unique creatures.

[Patricia Gmitrovic]

Clever little builders.