We Don’t Eat Our Classmates: The Hilariously Honest Book That Makes Classroom Rules Click

Every kindergarten teacher knows that look—the wide eyes, the tight grip on a parent’s hand, the whispered worry about whether the other kids will be nice. First day fears are as universal as backpacks and lunch boxes, but what if your biggest concern wasn’t making friends or finding the bathroom, but accidentally eating your classmates? We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins captures the hilarious chaos that ensues when Penelope Rex, a well-meaning young dinosaur, faces her own first day of school with some very unique challenges. This brilliant book transforms those familiar first-day jitters into laugh-out-loud moments while addressing the real emotions every kindergartner faces when walking into that classroom for the very first time.

Meet Penelope Rex: A Dinosaur with Heart (and Appetite)

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates follows Penelope Rex, a nervous young dinosaur starting her first day of school. Like any anxious student, she wonders what her classmates will be like, how many teeth they’ll have, and whether they’ll be nice. The twist? Penelope’s natural instincts make it challenging to follow the classroom’s most important rule. When she discovers her classmates are children, her excitement gets the better of her carnivorous nature, leading to some very awkward social situations.

The story spans approximately 15-20 minutes of read aloud time and works beautifully for kindergarten through third grade, though older students often enjoy the humor as well. Higgins’ distinctive illustrations perfectly complement the deadpan humor, showing Penelope’s genuine desire to fit in alongside her rather unfortunate dining choices. The emotional arc moves from nervousness to excitement to social rejection and finally to understanding and friendship, making it both entertaining and deeply meaningful.

Building Essential Literacy Skills Through Laughter

This seemingly simple story offers rich opportunities for developing structured literacy components. The vocabulary is particularly strong, introducing words like “nervous,” “delicious,” “extinct,” and “classmates” in context that makes meaning clear. Students naturally encounter tier-two vocabulary that appears across various texts, building their academic language foundation while they’re absorbed in Penelope’s predicament.

The story structure provides excellent comprehension strategy practice, with clear problem-solution elements that help students understand narrative frameworks. Teachers consistently find that We Don’t Eat Our Classmates creates natural opportunities for prediction, inference, and cause-and-effect discussions. The humor also supports comprehension by keeping students engaged and motivated to understand the nuances that make the story funny.

Background knowledge development happens organically as students connect to their own first-day experiences while learning about dinosaurs and prehistoric life. The book bridges familiar emotions with unfamiliar contexts, expanding students’ conceptual understanding of how different characters might experience similar feelings.

Setting the Stage for Success

Before diving into We Don’t Eat Our Classmates, introduce key vocabulary that will enhance comprehension. Words like “nervous,” “classmates,” and “extinct” appear frequently and understanding them deepens students’ appreciation of the story. You might also preview “carnivore” and “herbivore” to help students understand Penelope’s unique challenge.

Activate background knowledge by asking students to share their own first-day-of-school memories or feelings. What were they worried about? What questions did they have? This personal connection helps students relate to Penelope’s nervousness despite the dinosaur context.

Set the purpose by explaining that you’re reading about a character who faces a very unusual challenge on her first day of school. Encourage students to think about how Penelope’s feelings might be similar to their own, even though her specific problem is quite different.

Bringing Penelope’s Story to Life

Strategic stopping points enhance engagement and comprehension throughout We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. When Penelope first wonders about her classmates, pause to let students predict what might happen. The page showing her enormous lunch provides a perfect opportunity for inference – why might a T. rex need so many sandwiches?

The moment when Penelope discovers her classmates are children creates an ideal think-aloud opportunity. Model your own thinking: “I can see that Penelope looks excited, but I’m starting to worry about what might happen next based on what I know about her being a T. rex.”

When the inevitable happens and Penelope eats a classmate, students often gasp or giggle. This emotional response signals deep engagement and creates a teachable moment about character motivations and consequences. Ask students to consider how the other children might feel and what Penelope might be thinking.

The story’s resolution, where Penelope finally makes a friend, provides opportunities to discuss problem-solving and friendship. Students can explore how compromise and understanding help solve conflicts.

Extending the Learning Beyond the Story

Discussion questions naturally emerge from We Don’t Eat Our Classmates that deepen comprehension and personal connections. Ask students to compare Penelope’s first-day worries with their own experiences, or to discuss how the other children might have felt when they saw a dinosaur in their classroom.

Writing connections flourish with this book. Students can create their own “first day rules” for unusual classroom visitors, write diary entries from Penelope’s perspective, or compose advice letters to nervous students starting school. The clear problem-solution structure also makes this an excellent mentor text for narrative writing.

Cross-curricular opportunities abound, particularly with science connections about dinosaurs, herbivores, and carnivores. Social studies discussions about community rules and getting along with others flow naturally from the story’s themes. The book also supports social-emotional learning conversations about managing impulses, making friends, and finding compromise.

Teacher Talk: How to Get the Most Out of “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates”

This book works exceptionally well as a beginning-of-year read aloud when students are establishing classroom community and learning about differences. The humor helps diffuse anxiety about new situations while the underlying message reinforces important social skills.

Students typically respond with immediate engagement to the absurd premise, but the real magic happens when they recognize the deeper emotional truths about belonging and acceptance. Be prepared for lots of questions about whether dinosaurs could really go to school and discussions about what other classroom rules might be necessary for unusual students.

The book’s episodic structure makes it easy to read in segments if needed, and the visual humor ensures that even reluctant listeners stay engaged. Many teachers find that We Don’t Eat Our Classmates becomes a classroom favorite that students request repeatedly, making it perfect for building reading stamina and deepening comprehension through multiple exposures.

Supporting Reading Development Through Strategic Instruction

Research consistently shows that read alouds like We Don’t Eat Our Classmates support reading development by building vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension strategies that students will apply to their independent reading. The engaging content motivates students to tackle challenging concepts, while the clear narrative structure provides scaffolding for understanding more complex texts.

This book exemplifies how quality literature enhances rather than replaces systematic literacy instruction. Students who hear rich vocabulary in context during read alouds are better prepared to decode and understand these words when they encounter them in their own reading. The problem-solution structure they experience here becomes a framework they can recognize and use across various texts.

The social-emotional learning embedded in We Don’t Eat Our Classmates also supports reading development by helping students make personal connections to texts, a key comprehension strategy that strengthens engagement and understanding.

Creating Lasting Impact Through Purposeful Reading

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates proves that the best read alouds serve multiple purposes simultaneously – entertaining students while building essential literacy skills and supporting social-emotional development. This book creates those memorable classroom moments where learning feels effortless because students are completely absorbed in a story that speaks to their experiences and emotions.

The combination of humor, heart, and helpful life lessons makes this a read aloud that students remember long after the school year ends, often requesting it again and again. Teachers find that the book’s themes naturally resurface during classroom conflicts or discussions about differences, making it a valuable community-building tool that keeps giving throughout the year.