The dinosaur expert / by Margaret McNamara ; illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-Kimmy is a child with a keen interest in science and history who collects fossils in her spare time. When her class visits a natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to find her personal interests and public life merging on a topic so dear to her heart. Throughout the museum tour her head buzzes with information she can hardly wait to share about dinosaurs, and she speaks with knowledge at several exhibits. But then a careless word from a classmate, who thinks that girls are not scientists, leaves Kimmy quiet and stops the tidal wave of information she was so ready to share with her peers. As the class continues the tour, Kimmy sees many photographs of male paleontologists and proceeds to lose her nerve to communicate the information she is excited about. Soon an encouraging word from an observant teacher saves the day, and reignites her enthusiasm. He points Kimmy in the direction of a placard with photos and information about an award-winning female paleontologist. Kimmy's confidence is restored, and she is validated when her classmates see that scientists can be girls. This story is illustrated with great care and attention to detail from page one, and the text and artwork work together in harmony to bring home powerful messages about gender equality, evolving to improve, and being careful with the feelings of others. VERDICT Attention-grabbing from its dinosaur-bone-covered endpapers to its closing spread of additional information on female paleontologists, this is a welcome addition to picture book collections. Best suited for one-on-one and small group sharing.-Lauren Younger, Nicholson Memorial Library, Garland, TX © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* A field trip to the natural history museum with Mr. Tiffin's class? That's perfect for Kimmy, who collects fossils. She impresses Jake, a classmate, with how much she knows about dinosaurs, but when she mentions wanting to become a scientist, he responds, Girls aren't scientists. Surprised and deflated, Kimmy goes quiet. Looking at photos of paleontologists of the past, she sees only men. But in the next room, Mr. Tiffin calls her over to see an exhibit sign with photos of the woman scientist who discovered that dinosaur fossil. Hopeful again, Kimmy confides to her teacher, I want to be just like her, and receives a heartening response. An appended two-page section features Kimmy's favorite paleontologists, six women currently working in the field and one girl from the nineteenth century: groundbreaking fossil scientist Mary Anning. While all the picture books in the series about Mr. Tiffin's class are well worth reading, this one is special. Karas uses gouache, matte medium, and pencil to illustrate a setting unfamiliar to many children, while sensitively conveying Kimmy's emotions even when, disheartened and doubting herself, she stops talking for a while. Written with clarity and finesse, the story concludes with a pitch-perfect line. A beautifully crafted picture book.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2018 Booklist

Horn Book Review

On a school trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy, who loves science and dinosaurs, is silenced when her male classmate scoffs, "Girls aren't scientists." With support from teacher Mr. Tiffin and plenty of inspiring evidence to the contrary, Kimmy finds her voice. In Karas's friendly gouache and pencil illustrations, the class wanders grand halls and awe-inspiring fossil displays as the drama unfolds. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Timely intervention keeps a young science enthusiast's career ambitions on the rails in this fourth outing for Mr. Tiffin's class.A born naturalist ("She even collected owl pellets. And she took them apart"), Kimmy eagerly shares her knowledge about dinosaurs and fossils on a trip to the museumuntil she's silenced by classmate Jake's disparaging remark that "girls aren't scientists." No sooner does her perspicacious teacher spot her sudden change, though, than he leads her to a specimen of Gasparinisauria, a dinosaur named, she reads, in honor of paleontologist Zulma Nlida Brandoni de Gasparini. Even Jake admits that that is "awesome," and for the rest of the visit Kimmy becomes a positive fount of information about raptor toes, Stegosaurus brains, and other dinosaur lore. "When I grow up," Kimmy declares, "I want to be just like her." Mr. Tiffin's "I think you already are," cements the teachable moment. Kimmy, her teacher, and Jake are white, but along with capturing his characters' changing moods and responses with artfully angled faces and other body language, Karas portrays the rest of the class with diverse features and skin tones. A gallery of women paleontologists of the past and present makes an apt closer.A pivotal moment in a child's life, handled with grace and sensitivity rather than conflict or ineffective lecturing. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.