WE WILL ROCK OUR CLASSMATES

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.