Review - The Dinosaur Expert

The Dinosaur Expert (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom #4)
by Margaret McNamara
illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Date: 2018
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Join Mr. Tiffin and his students on a trip to a natural history museum and learn all about dinosaurs and the scientists who discovered them!

Mr. Tiffin and his students are back in another picture book, and this time the focus is on dinosaur-loving Kimmy. During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus and the Archaeopteryx and even the ginormous Titanosaurus. That changes when one of her classmates questions whether girls can be paleontologists. Kimmy starts to feel shy. What if they can't? What if no one wants to hear what she has to say? It will take some help from Mr. Tiffin--and from a famous scientist--for Kimmy to find her voice again.

Join Mr. Tiffin's class as they learn about dinosaurs big and small, feathered and scaly, winged and ocean-dwelling. And root for Kimmy, the dinosaur expert... who might just learn something about herself.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

While I do appreciate the "girl power" message of letting girls know that it's fine to be interested in scientific pursuits, I think this book failed a little in that regard. Why? Because the sexist classmate was never called out for his remarks. He may have learned that he was wrong because of the events in the book, but the fact that even the teacher seemed to ignore his comments was a little disturbing. It's just another example of how our society lets males get away with things they really shouldn't get away with.

The synopsis isn't accurate in this regard, either. Jake doesn't just question whether girls can be paleontologists. He clearly says: "Girls aren't scientists." The immediate effect of this is that Kimmy stops talking, even though she knows more about dinosaurs than anyone in her class. I found that whole interaction chilling... and it gets even worse after the kids look at a display of male paleontologists. Jake saunters away from Kimmy with a smug, "See?"

I really wanted this little sexist pig to have some sense smacked into him. While the kids do eventually find out that there are female paleontologists, too, the earlier sexism is never addressed. It's just kind of swept out of the way as the kids continue their trip through the museum. In a book that's all about girls getting into a scientific field, I would've expected this part of the story to be handled a little better.

The illustrations are nice, and I liked the pages at the end where Kimmy shares with the reader information she's found about female paleontologists. That part of the book is great for encouraging girls who might be interested in this subject. However, I found the unaddressed sexism disturbing, and I'm not sure I like the message this book gives. Yes, Kimmy finally finds her voice again. But does Jake really learn anything? It's not just about encouraging girls in the sciences; boys need to be taught to accept that girls can be scientists, too, or achieving more equality in the scientific fields is going to take longer than it needs to.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5