Review - How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom #1)
by Margaret McNamara
illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Date: 2007
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

For curious kids, this explores skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment. "How many seeds are in a pumpkin?" Mr. Tiffin asks his class as they gather around the big, medium, and small pumpkins on his desk. Robert, the biggest kid, guesses that the largest one has a million seeds; Elinor, sounding like she knows what she's talking about, guesses the medium one has 500 seeds; and Anna, who likes even numbers better than odd ones, guesses that the little one has 22. Charlie, the smallest boy in the class, doesn't have a guess. Counting pumpkin seeds is messy business, but once the slimy job is done... well, you'll have to read and find out!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I enjoyed this classroom tale more than I thought I would.

One day, Mr. Tiffin brings three pumpkins to school and asks the class how many seeds are in each one. Which will have the most: the big, the medium, or the small pumpkin? Each student has their own ideas, but there's only one way to find out. And the answer comes as a surprise to everybody.

While the illustrations didn't wow me, they're perfectly adequate as an accompaniment to the story. I can see this being used in a classroom setting, perhaps along with a pumpkin-seed counting activity. I actually learned a few things about pumpkins that I didn't know before, and I always like it when that happens.

Recommended to curious kids who are interested in learning fun facts.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - The Bug Girl: A True Story

The Bug Girl: A True Story
by Sophia Spencer & Margaret McNamara
illustrated by Kerascoët
Date: 2020
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 44
Format: e-book
Source: library

Real-life 7-year-old Sophia Spencer was bullied for loving bugs until hundreds of women scientists rallied around her. Now Sophie tells her story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself.

Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Bug Girl is a wonderful (true) story of a young girl who follows her passion, even if the other kids her age don't understand it.

Sophia loved bugs from an early age. And the other kids thought that was cool... up until first grade. And then she was bullied for her interest. (Kids get mean earlier and earlier, it seems.) Hating to see her daughter so sad, Sophia's mom reached out to entomologists for support. And support they got! Sophia was inspired to allow herself to keep loving bugs and exploring the world of insects.

The story is lovely and the illustrations, done by husband-and-wife team Kerascoët, complement the text perfectly. There's also an informative (but easy-to-read) section at the back where Sophia shares facts about some of her favourite bugs.

This would be an excellent title for other budding entomologists, as well as for readers looking for books about bullying with an ultimately uplifting message.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

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