Don’t Fall For The Trick: A guide to smashing gender stereotypes

Written by Jennifer Bain & illustrated by Scott Stuart
Reviewed by Tyrion Perkins

Jennifer Bain is a graphic designer and author the picture book The New Kid. Scot Stuart is an author and illustrator of a number of books including best sellers, The Very First You and How to Be a Real Man. When I first saw the cover of Don’t Fall For The Trick, I thought it would be a picture book about avoiding scams, so I was surprised to see the subtitle was A guide to smashing gender stereotypes.

This is a subject close to my heart. As a girl growing up in the 1970s, I saw attitudes were different for my twin brother, even though my parents worked hard to treat us equally. Gender stereotypes have shifted a lot since then, at least for girls, but there’s still a way to go until boys and girls can feel it’s normal to do any activity. So, a book on this for young kids is welcome and needed.

Don’t Fall For The Trick is not for those who like their message subtle. The cover of children holding placards makes it clear that this is an activist book. It gives many examples of what it calls “The Trick” such as an adult saying, “Big boys don’t cry,” or a teacher asking, “Which girl lost this pink sock?” It mentions how these beliefs that shaped how people lived came from history, then urges readers to lookout for “The Trick” and point it out to others. “The more people we tell about The Trick, the quicker we can stop it in its tracks. This will help create a more equal world.”

I like the sentiment and aim of this book, but does it appeal to buyers and readers, give a clear message, and inspire readers to do as the book suggests? Firstly, Scott Stuart uses many different illustration styles for his books, some beautiful, as in Alone, others blockier. In this book he uses big round heads with huge pupils, a style suitable for the covers of his chapter book series, Saphire & the Monster Hunters, but here it makes it feel like the activist aspect is even more in your face.

Secondly, aspects of the message are confusing. Some of the examples used like, “Girls can’t climb trees,” or “Women aren’t good at fixing things,” would have seemed ridiculous by the 1980s, let alone 2025. But the biggest issue is the use of the term “Trick” – I’ve never heard it used in this context. As I read the book, I found myself frowning, feeling confused, and wondering if there’s a whole discourse on how to introduce the concept of sexism to children that I’ve missed. A brief search of the Internet didn’t reveal any uses of “the trick” in this context. Also, several teachers and librarians I consulted all thought the wrong word was used. I thought “lie” fitted better, but perhaps the authors didn’t want kids accusing each other of lying when it’s a case of sexism. Perhaps they didn’t want to use “sexism” either, although it can’t be because it’s too advanced, because at one stage it says, “These ideas shaped the way people lived. It’s called the Patriarchy. And the Patriarchy still tricks people today.” Adding “Patriarchy” confuses things further and makes the book sound ideological.

I mulled over why this book uses “The Trick,” a word that can be used in many contexts. Eventually I thought maybe it was meant to lighten the accusation, such as when an older relative spins an
unbelievable yarn and the child says, “You’re tricking me!” However, that’s not quite the wording used, so it could be that the author hopes this is a new approach that will take off over time. I would have preferred something a bit clearer. Rather than say “That’s a Trick!” when someone says something sexist, it would make more sense to say, “That’s a belief, not a fact.”

Time will tell if parents and teachers want to buy this book and if children like this approach and want to use it.

Affirm Press 2025

Jennifer Bain

Scott Stuart