We Don't Eat Our Classmates (A Penelope Rex Book)

I loved reading this, and it's quickly become a family favorite. When we pick books to read before bed this one always makes it into the pile. A cute story about a well-meaning dinosaur. I just can't get enough of him. He's so sweet and innocent. Poor dude just loves eating children. That's fine except . . . he goes to school! With a bunch of children! Needless to say, they don't appreciate being eaten. It's a great story with a cute way to present a wonderful lesson. Treat others the way you'd like to be treated. :)

This rapidly became my 6- and 7-year-old sons' favorite book. The art is amazing, the story is wonderful, and the lessons the reader learns about empathy are critical for every age group. In fact, I'm an English teacher in a high school, and as a model literary analysis during the first week of school, my freshmen and sophomores are going to analyze the theme of the story as an entry to our first unit of study. This book is absolutely an instant classic.

My daughter and I both LOVE this book! She's 8 and definitely on the outer edge of picture books, but she adores dinosaurs AND was about to start at a new school so it seemed so fitting. She immediately brought it to school and got her teacher to read it aloud to her class, and then he loaned it to the other third grade teachers to read to their classes as well. It is a wonderful story, told with humor and a relatable (and adorable) female dinosaur protagonist. I also noticed and appreciated the diversity representation in the classroom, and wish more picture books would make the effort. Overall a really wonderful book, especially for all the dinosaur loving little girls out there.

Another hilarious picture book by Ryan T. Higgins! Penelope is a T-Rex starting school. She’s looking forward to making friends with her classmates, but that doesn’t go as planned because they taste delicious! It’s not until the class pet takes a liking to Penelope’s finger that she realizes being eaten is no fun. Loved the diverse children represented in this book, and I think students will pick up on theme (treat others the way you want to be treated) easily. A must have for those who do #classroombookaday with students! Don’t forget to remove the book jacket to see the hilarious book undies!

I bought this book for my nephew but, I wanted to keep it. The drawings and story are terrific. Yes, it contains a lesson about treating others well and the dinosaur learns that being mistreated herself didn't feel good. But, it's not preachy and much of the humor will be funny to adults. I bought books for each of the nieces and nephews and for the children of a friend. I love starting home libraries to encourage the kids to learn. So I take the time to research books. I look for stories that aren't saccharine sweet, that teach lessons including (for the babies) colors, shapes, counting, objects, that get the kids involved (look for the one called My Book About Me), that help them learn to read, etc. I write a note to each child in a few of the books. I know I'm off topic at this point. Please do get this book. It's sweet and funny and manages not to preach.