What a nice book for a STEM collection!
Summary from the publisher:
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.
The Dinosaur Expert was written by Margaret McNamara and
illustrated by G. Brian Karas. It was published by Schwartz & Wade Books in
2018.
Opening:
Kimmy collected things so she could
study them.
My thoughts as a writer:
This book
shows a way to blend factual information into a narrative. There was an obvious
message in the text of this story (women can be scientists) but I really liked
the way the author included all the facts and details in with the story.
My thoughts as an educator:
Dinosaur
lovers will find this book interesting! It’s would be nice to include it in a school
library or classroom collection because it showcases women scientists. As a
read aloud, I’d use this book to encourage some discussion about women and
different occupations and roles. There are interesting dinosaur facts in this
story, too.
Ages: 5 - 8
Grades: K – 3
Themes: dinosaurs, scientists, paleontology
Activities:
STEM Challenge: Create a collection of something that interests you. Include at least 5 items in your collection and write a label for each item.
List: Think of
something you know a lot about. Make a list of some interesting things you
could share with others.
Research: Choose one
of the women paleontologists in the back of the book. Try to find out more
about her.
Imagine: Draw a picture of a
dinosaur “field trip.” What would you see?
