We Will Rock Our Classmates (Penelope Rex Series #2)

by Ryan T. Higgins, Ryan T. Higgins (Illustrator)

Overview

Readers will twist and shout for this headbanging companion to the #1 New York Times best-selling We Don't Eat Our Classmates.


Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it’s not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368059596
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/21/2020
Series:	Penelope Rex Series , #2
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	21,979
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 12.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Ryan T. Higgins (ryanthiggins.com) is the author and illustrator of the #1 New York Times best-selling We Don't Eat Our Classmates; the New York Times best-selling Mother Bruce, which received the E. B. White Read Aloud Award and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor; Hotel Bruce; BE QUIET!; Bruce's Big Move; and others. He lives in Maine with his wife and kids and a menagerie of pets.

Editorial Reviews

06/15/2020

In this companion to We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, Penelope the T. rex takes on the schoolwide talent show. As the only dinosaur among her human peers, Penelope is sometimes seen as more behemoth reptile than individual, something that doesn’t keep her from her love of music until, at the talent show rehearsal, someone calls out, “Can dinosaurs even play guitar?” Feeling doubt, Penelope must decide whether her identity is more multifaceted than just “dinosaur.” Higgins’s mixed-media illustrations reflect a world populated by children diverse in skin tone, ethnicity, religion, and ability, supplemented by the colorful pop of fantasy that goldenrod-hued Penelope and her magenta overalls provide. The animal-human dynamics can feel hazy (Penelope’s classmate has a nonanthropomorphic pet pony that Penelope wants to eat), but the message—the importance of pursuing passions despite limiting societal expectations—is encouraging. Ages 3–5. (July)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR 1 GRUMPY BRUCE

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

PRAISE FOR BRUCE'S BIG FUN DAY

"A welcome addition."—School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR BRUCE'S BIG MOVE

Junior Library Guild Selection

PRAISE FOR BRUCE'S BIG STORM

"Clever and hilarious."—School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR BRUCE'S BIG STORM

Junior Library Guild Selection

PRAISE FOR PEEK-A-BRUCE

"In the same league as any of the great children's classics: rich in detail, deft, smooth, elegant, and expressive. Part Are You My Mother? part The Odd Couple, all delightful."—Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR WE DON'T EAT OUR CLASSMATES

"Hysterical."—School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR WE DON'T EAT OUR CLASSMATES

"Too much fun for a single read."—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—Penelope is back from We Don't Eat Our Classmates. Penelope is the only T. rex in her school, where she loves to play, read, draw, and sing with her guitar. However, everyone tends to remember her first unfortunate days of gulping down her classmates and see her only in the role of dinosaur in their games. Signing up for the school talent show is difficult and scary. Her thoughts keep returning to words she heard as she first took the school stage—"Can dinosaurs even play a guitar?" After days of agonizing, and a memorable talk with her dad, Penelope realizes that being a T. rex is only part of who she is. With surprise, she discovers that her classmates actually want to be part of her band. Colorful digital illustrations with ink and graphite feature speech bubbles that enhance the dialogue, while full-page scenes detail Penelope's world at school and home, e.g., a moment of low self-esteem shrinks her to a small circle of light within a double-page spread of darkness. Penelope's feelings are easily identifiable in images of eyes bright with tears from sadness and insecurity or shy smiles of pride. VERDICT A thoughtful and humorous story. Penelope's latest adventure is a welcome addition for young readers and a suggested first purchase for all libraries.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2020-05-17
Having learned We Don’t Eat Our Classmates (2018), Penelope the T. rex is now trying to rock them…in the school talent show.

Even though she’s the only T. rex in the school, Penelope at times feels overlooked. The other, human kids typecast her as the dinosaur in all their pretend play, but Penelope’s so much more: She reads and draws, and she longs to share her rock-’n’-roll music with her classmates. But the first day of rehearsal—a day of elation, excitement, and plans—leads to disappointment and self-doubt. Her father’s pep talk helps her remember she is much more than just the T. rex everyone sees. And the next day, as she’s gathering her courage—Walter’s fishbowl is next to the sign-up sheet (readers of the previous title will get it)—some classmates ask to join her band, which is just the push she needs. Higgins perfectly captures Penelope’s seesawing emotions, the highest highs and the lowest lows. The school is one of the most diverse found in picture books, with kids of all skin colors and ethnicities, several girls in hijab, a boy in a kippah, and kids using forearm crutches and a wheelchair. Hopefully the endpapers will serve as springboards for readers to declare and illustrate their own talents.

While not as riotously funny as Penelope’s debut, it comes with a much more meaningful message. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews