We Don't Eat Our Classmates! By Ryan T. Higgins
We Don't Eat Our Classmates! By Ryan T. Higgins
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Product Overview
We Don't Eat Our Classmates! by Ryan T. Higgins tells the story of Penelope Rex, a young dinosaur navigating her first day of school with a tricky problem: her human classmates look absolutely delicious. The book follows Penelope as she struggles to resist the urge to snack on her new friends, making it hard to form the connections she wants. When Penelope finds herself on the other side of the food chain, she learns an important lesson about friendship and appropriate classroom behavior in a way that's funny and completely relatable for kids facing their own first-day jitters.
- Humorous story about making friends and first-day-of-school nervousness told through a dinosaur's perspective
- Addresses social behavior and treating classmates with respect in an entertaining, age-appropriate way
- Written by Ryan T. Higgins, bringing dinosaur antics and human emotions together in one clever tale
- Turns the challenge of fitting in at a new school into a laugh-out-loud adventure with heart
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Full Details
Care Notes
- storage: Store in a dry location away from direct sunlight to prevent page fading and binding damage.
Use Cases
- First day of school preparation and discussion
- Bedtime story for preschool and early elementary children
- Classroom read-aloud about friendship and behavior
- Gift for a child starting kindergarten or first grade
- Teaching moment about empathy and treating others kindly
- Humorous story time for dinosaur-loving children
Skills Developed
- primary skill: Social-emotional learning about empathy and friendship
- secondary skill: Understanding appropriate classroom behavior and treating others with respect
Age Suitability
- minimum safe age: 4 years
- ideal age range: 5-8 years
- developmental fit: 3-4 years: Enjoys the humor and dinosaur character with adult guidance to explain the friendship lesson. 5-7 years: Relates directly to school experiences and understands the empathy lesson about treating classmates kindly. 8-10 years: Appreciates the humor and can read independently while reflecting on social behavior themes.
Play Patterns
- primary play type: Shared reading experience
- play structure: Linear narrative read from beginning to end with opportunities for discussion
- social context: One-on-one reading with a parent or caregiver, or group story time in classroom settings
- adult involvement: Adult reads aloud to younger children and facilitates discussion about the friendship and behavior themes
- play progression: Initial read-through for story enjoyment, followed by repeated readings where children anticipate favorite moments and discuss the lesson
- session length: 10 to 15 minutes per reading session
Why It Works
- primary benefit: Uses humor and a dinosaur protagonist to make first-day-of-school anxiety and friendship challenges relatable and less intimidating for young children.
- secondary benefit: Teaches empathy and appropriate social behavior through a memorable story about treating classmates with kindness rather than as food.
What Makes It Fun
- Penelope Rex starts school with human classmates and tries her hardest not to eat them.
Why They'll Love It
- * Penelope Rex eats her classmates on day one at school * Ryan T. Higgins story about making friends and manners * First day jitters meet dinosaur humor in this tale
Customer Q&A
Who is the author of this book?
Ryan T. Higgins wrote this book.
What is the main character's name?
The main character is Penelope Rex, a young dinosaur also called Penelope T. Rex.
What is the story about?
The story follows Penelope Rex on her first day of school, where she struggles to make friends with her human classmates because she finds them delicious and wants to eat them, until she learns a lesson about being at the top of the food chain.
What lessons does this book teach?
The book addresses first-day-of-school nervousness, making friends, and appropriate social behavior through humor.
Is this book funny or serious?
This book uses humor to address the challenge of making friends and classroom behavior.
